Phoenix Rise
by SukiChan12
Summary: Pan is taken hostage by aliens when the Earth is attacked in an attempt to steal the dragon balls. Follow her through the obstacles of facing inhuman torture and violation, healing, and moving past her trysts as she burns and rises from the ashes; stronger and wiser, discovering the true meaning of the Phoenix...
1. Burning from Within

**This one-shot is going to feature torture, rape, and other things. Pan has been kidnapped from planet earth while facing a new threat, and the two men torture, beat, and violate her in ways that no one should be able to survive and yet she does. A year and a half later, the Z-Senshi locate her and defeat the threat and bring her back home, where she deals with the backlash from suffering from such heinous acts, as well as recovering from the terrible mistreatment. This shot is going to be one of my more intense ideas, and is not for the faint of heart. If any of the above mentioned things have happened to you, then don't read any further than this AN because I'm not softening anything. Let's get this started. No specific pairings, but it might be a TxP get together. Pan's around 16 to 19, not too sure about the age; maybe 17 would be the best way to go.**

**The villains in this one-shot are shape shifting humanoids with a lack of respect for females, as you'll soon find out.**

* * *

Pan's POV

_If he hurts her, I swear to kami I'll rip him to shred- What the hell?!_

It happened so fast. One second I was rushing to shield my mother from that monstrous blast, the next, she had turned into one of those weird men who'd attacked us earlier and the blast had dissipated. _An imposter_, I realized. I'd been tricked into singling myself out, away from the others, who were fighting off the other four alien men, leaving me to face two of them on my own. With a growl, I dropped into my stance shifting my gaze between both of them quickly, trying to keep my focus on both of them at once. My irritation grew as one of them leered at me with his creepy green eyes. "She is exquisite, isn't she Baden?" He crooned, and I growled, "Standing right here, creep!" Baden, a pale blue skinned alien with strange, golden orange eyes smirked, "feisty, too. Mmmm... I think we should keep this one to ourselves, Lykui." Lykui smiled lewdly at me, "I'd say we take her with us. I'd have a blast breaking that fiery spirit of hers."

"I'm not going _anywhere_ with you." I replied, tensing up. "We shall see." Baden's voice came from right behind me, and I struck out with my right elbow, intending to catch him in the chest or upper stomach. He anticipated my move and snagged my elbow, but a countered with a ki blast from my left hand that knocked him flat on his butt. I'd all but forgotten Lykui until a sharp pain erupted in my back, right where my kidneys were, and I collapsed into a forward roll, twisting around so I was facing my assailant. Lykui smiled at me, "Your instincts are impressive." I nodded once, "so is your ability to make cheap shots." His smile fell, and he vanished in a rush of air. I concentrated my senses, trying to fish him out. Baden leapt forward with a spin kick, and I threw myself backwards into a backflip to avoid him. He followed me easily, and his foot smashed into the side of my ribcage with a muted 'crunch'. I cursed softly, knowing the ribs were definitely broken.

"No more games," I hissed, powering up to the first level of super saiyan. "Oooo, she can do a magic trick, Baden." Lykui's ki appeared above me and slammed his fists down on me in a sledge hammer style. I avoided the strike and executed a quick snap kick to his chin, leaving him dazed. Baden came at me with ki blazing in his hands and fired a nameless blast at me. I dodged and countered with a blast of my own, burning his chest severely. He roared in pain and glowered at me, "You'll pay that, little whore!" I rolled my eyes, "by all means, make me pay." He smirked maliciously, "with _pleasure_," and phased out. I was momentarily distracted when I sensed my father's ki headed in this direction, and that was all the opening he needed. I screamed out as he wrenched my arm from the socket and flung me into a pile of rocks. I felt a nasty gash open up on the side of my face. Biting my lip to fight the pain, I powered up, flaring my aura to throw the rocks off of me.

"I'm sick of playing around, Baden! Just use the attack already!" I heard Lykui yell, "Her father is headed in this direction, and you and I both know we can't handle him. Let's take her and go!" _They want me? Well, they'll have to try a little harder._ With a sharp kiai, I shot into the air and hit Baden dead in the nose, breaking it. His roar of agony was music to my ears, and I followed up with a backwards aerial, catching him in the chin with my foot. My body rotated in the air, and I executed a clean roundhouse to Lykui's face, sending him sprawling. I didn't expect him to recover so fast, but he was back up in an instant and had my arms pinned behind my back. As I began to thrash, he screamed at Baden, "We don't have time to use the spell, just use one of the collars! Her father's nearly here!" _Collar?!_ "No way in hell are you putting a collar on me! I'm not your fucking pet!" I screeched, kicking my legs. "Who said you had a choice, girl?" Lykui snapped, and grabbed a hold of my hair and pulled my head back, leaving my throat exposed. Cool metal encircled my neck, and every drop of power I possessed rushed out of me, away to Dende knows where.

"Night, night, beautiful one." Baden hissed, caressing my cheek. "Wait, no-" too late. He pulled his fist back and hit me in the temple. Pain exploded throughout my brain, and I spiraled into the darkness with a quiet whimper.

No POV

"She's quite beautiful when she's asleep." Baden whispered, running a thumb over Pan's soft pink lips. He then checked the collar to make sure it was completely locked before turning to his friend, "The others have perished. Let's get to the ship and get off of this planet, and then we'll figure out how we'll break this feisty filly." Lykui smirked, "I think I already know how that's going to happen, Baden. Lower your ki and let's go." The duo retreated to their cloaked ship on foot, keeping an eye out for any frantic, enraged fathers or uncles. "They're back at where we lured her in. If they think we killed her, because of the lack of ki, then it will be a good thing. The others are dead, so there's no one to tell them otherwise." Lykui grinned sinisterly, "to think we came here looking for those wish granting balls, but we come away with this beauty. She will be put to use accordingly." Baden pouted slightly, "We could've gotten the blue haired one as well, but her father was guarding her too closely." His friend shrugged, "shame. Her body is one I would've loved to explore and discover."

*With the Z-Senshi*

"She's not dead. My _daughter_ is not _dead_." Gohan hissed, looking around desperately. "Well, brat, then explain to me why no one can sense her ki since it dropped mysteriously just an hour ago?" Vegeta retorted harshly, but cooled down when his wife gave him a look, "you can't ignore the possibilities, brat." Videl began to chew on the corner of her thumbnail, looking around worriedly. Where was her little girl? Gohan glanced at his wife and moved to her side, "Vi, are you okay?" she swallowed thickly and shook her head in the negative. "Gohan, you need to find her. Two of those men got away; what if they took her with them? Kami knows what they'll do to her," she whimpered, "oh, Gohan, our little girl..." Gohan shushed her, "Don't think that way, Vi, we'll find her. I know we will." Videl buried her face in his chest, mewling softly. Ever the loving, comforting husband, Gohan stroked her hair and rubbed her back, pressing gentle kisses against her forehead and cheeks.

"I'll start looking around the area, Gohan." Goten offered, stepping away from Bra. "I'll look too. Maybe they knocked her out and just left her somewhere nearby." Trunks smiled reassuringly, "C'mon Goten, let's get cracking." The two friends split up and began to search the clearing, searching every possible place that the small Son girl could be hidden in. Bra found a few rocks with blood spilt on them, and it was easy to tell that it was Pan's, as the aliens had puke green blood, and Videl only got even antsier as their search turned up fruitless. _What if she's really gone off planet with them? What if we never see her again?_

Pan's POV

I cried out as a splash of icy cold liquid soaked my face, bringing me out of my dreamless slumber. At first I thought I was back in my room, and then I felt cold metal ensnaring my wrists, holding me in place. I tried to wriggle, but there wasn't any give to the cuffs, meaning that they were mounted to the wall. My wrists were cuffed together above my head, and my feet were cuffed two and half feet apart. My dislocated arm screamed at me, and my broken ribs screamed even louder. I moaned softly as I began to mentally catalogue my injuries. _Alright, I'm counting two, maybe three broken ribs on the side that he kicked me, and a fractured one on the opposite side, my shoulder is dislocated and I feel a fracture in that arm, and there's a gash on the right side of my face... and a hella swollen bruise on the left side. Did I really get hit that hard?_

"And the Sleeping Beauty graces us with her consciousness."

I looked up, watching both of them carefully as they entered the room, smiling lewdly at me as they took a relaxed position on either side of the door, arms crossed over their chests, "Perhaps I should go back to sleep again, hm?" Lykui smirked, "You'll need to be awake for what we're about to do next." I frowned, "Where am I?" Baden shrugged, "I'm not exactly sure, but we're no longer in the same solar system as your home planet-"

"WHAT?!" I screeched, "You took me away from my family?!" _Oh my kami, Mama's probably flipping shit right now. Papa... I can't even imagine how mad he is. No matter, they'll come after me. They might be right behind me right now_.

"I know, you're thinking that they figured it out and are following us right now, but they aren't. With that collar around your neck," Lykui phased towards me and fingered the cool metal around my throat, "you have no access to your ki, meaning you can't raise it for others to sense you. You might as well be dead, for all they know. We can't even sense you, and we're standing right here." My face fell, and his smirk became a Cheshire grin as he took it in, "I'm glad you can see that there's no way out for you, my feisty girl." I bared my teeth at him, "My family isn't the type to just give in. they know that there's no way I could die that easily or that fast, and that there were _six_ of you, yet they only managed to kill _four_. They'll put two and two together and figure out that you took me." Baden rolled his eyes, "So what if they know you're still alive? They won't be able to find you." I smirked, "Tell that to my Papa, Aunt Bulma, and Bra."

A fist buried itself in my gut, and a spatter of blood flew out of my mouth, staining Baden's white pants. "You're going to learn how to tame that fiery tongue of yours, my sweet filly." I could only cough feebly as he removed his hand from my stomach and cupped my face, "there's a good girl. Silence is golden, my dear." I gathered up the blood and saliva in my mouth and fired it into his face, "Burn in hell, you piece of shit." Lykui spoke from beside Baden, "such filth from such a pretty mouth. Do you kiss your mother with that gorgeously filthy mouth?" I nodded, "but of course." He smirked, "then surely kissing me won't be a problem."

I barely had time to absorb his words before his lips pressed against mine in a forceful, disgusting kiss. I screamed against his mouth as he gripped the back of my neck to keep me in place. His tongue wormed into my mouth and wriggled around, rubbing against the roof of my mouth, tasting me. After what felt like an eternity, he pulled back and wiped his mouth, "her mouth is sweet, despite the sour language that flows from those plump, rosy lips." I could only glare at him, too enraged to form any words. "You can have her first, Lykui; I lack the patience needed to atone with her... _mouth_." Baden left the room, "I trust that you'll break her in for me." Lykui smirked as his friend left the room, "You can trust in me on that one, my friend." Baden's laugh echoed down the hall behind him, and I shot Lykui a scowl, "Why the hell did you kiss me?" He shrugged, "because I wanted to, lovely girl, and I wish to do a lot more than just kiss you..." his hands fell to grab my shirt, and with a flex of his hands, it was shredded from my body. I tried to recoil, but the cuffs held me in place. "So _supple_." He crooned, leaning in to kiss and nuzzle my bared skin, licking and nipping. With another flick of his hand, my bra fell away from my body, and I whimpered loudly as my breasts fell free. He took them in greedily, and I slowly began to realize what he wanted from me.

"Kami, no... Please don't... anything but this..." He smiled sardonically at me, "how else are we going to break your spirit, lovely filly?" when I couldn't form a reply, he kissed me tenderly and went back to his ministrations. Tears trickled down my face as his tongue delved into my belly button, and then moved lower, sucking on the skin of my lower abdomen. _Find your happy place, Panny... Just find your happy place, and it'll be like it's not even happening... Come on... just drift... _his hands moved to my obi, and any drifting I'd managed to do faded away, and I was focused on his hands as they gracefully untied my black belt, allowing my loose gi pants to fall to my ankles. I closed my eyes and focused on my happy place as his hands curled around the waistband of my black lacy boy shorts. I felt them come down, even as my mind continued to fog, and he took off his pants and positioned himself at my entrance.

Pain ripped through my lower body, and I cried out loudly, pleading with him to stop despite my attempts to drift away and act like nothing was wrong. He groaned into my neck, whispering something that I couldn't decipher. The tears fell in torrents as he ripped my most sacred place apart. I think I may have screamed, but I was too far gone to tell. I could feel the blood running down my thighs, trickling over his fingers as he squeezed them, rubbing and kneading the skin roughly. Strange, pained noises escaped me as he nuzzled my neck, growling and biting at my skin. _When does it end?_ His lips fell on my biting and tugging rabidly at my soft lips. Down below, his hips were a piston, moving rapidly against my sore hips. I could feel contusions forming where his hips bones collided with mine. _I'm never going to be the same again, _I realized, _I just lost my virginity to some alien against my will, and there's a pretty good chance it will happen again... Oh, Kami, I want to go home..._ I sobbed loudly as I felt... him bulge slightly within me, and then, with a low growl, something warm and thick filled me.

"You were amazing, sweet girl... absolutely amazing..." Lykui panted against my skin, "you have a wondrous body... so soft and yet hard..." I refused to look him in the eyes, letting my hair fall down thickly over my face. "Is someone suddenly shy?" He teased, and I forced back a gag. _You just... ra- violated me, and you think I'm trying to hide my face from you because I'm shy?! You sick bastard!_ I wanted so badly to scream at him, but all my energy had left me. I was nothing but a shell; a husk without a soul. My body ached in ways I never knew it could, and I longed for something to cover my naked, abused form. _How could he do that to me and act so nonchalant about it? What is wrong with him?_

"I'll leave you to get some rest. Baden should be here to have his turn with you." my eyes widened behind the curtain of hair, but I didn't let him know that I'd acknowledged him. "So quiet. Is a good lay all you needed to tame that fiery spirit of yours?"

Bile rushed up my esophagus as he closed the door behind him, and I turned my head to throw up violently. Some of it got on me, and I bit my quivering lips as a new wave of sobs started to wash over me, tightening my throat and making my breathing choppy. A low, keening wail escaped me as I collapsed in on myself with loud, heavy sobs that took my breath away. I wanted my mother, father, any familiar face would've helped, but I also wanted so badly to just curl up and die. Never in my life have I felt as embarrassed and ashamed as I did when Lykui... did _that_ to me. The mixture of grief, shame, and longing was about to swallow me whole and I didn't know how to stop it. I felt like a little kid, lost and so far away from home. _I just wanted to protect my planet... how did it come to this?_ I concentrated on the memory...

_... I dodged a fast ki blast with a low cry and fired one in return, glowering at Baden as he smirked at me. "Your mother wouldn't happen to be a feisty black haired woman with blue eyes, would she?" he teased, and I moved into a defensive stance, "What did you do to her!?" He shrugged, "Nothing... yet." Then he phased away from the main battlefield. "Dammit!" I hissed, following after him. After what felt like eternities of going in circle after circle he came to a clearing, and I saw my mother standing there, a frightened look on her face. "Mama!" I turned to glare at Baden, but he was already forming a monstrous ki blast in his hand, "Good night, mommy," and fired. "MAMA, NO!" I screamed, rushing towards her as fast as I could. It didn't even occur to me that I could've gone super saiyan; I just had to save her. As I got within range of her, she shocked me by morphing into yet another alien. I cursed, realizing I'd been tricked and prepared myself to fight hard..._

I came out of the memory to the feeling of someone cupping my face, and whispered the name of the first person that came to mind, "Papa..." There was a soft chuckle, and I completely came out of my reverie. Baden's golden orange eyes gleamed maliciously at me, "Hello, beautiful one. You thought I was Papa, hm? Well, would 'Papa' do this?" He squeezed my breast roughly, and I whimpered loudly. "Well? Would he?" I refused to reply, and found a knee digging into my gut. "You don't seem to understand, dear one, but I am not Lykui. I'm not the gentle one. I prefer fast, rough, and painful to gentle and loving. Now, answer my question and I might stop hurting you. Would your precious father touch you like this?" He reached down and shoved two fingers inside of me. I cried out in pain, "No!" he smiled and caressed my cheek, "Good, sweet girl."

His fingers traveled back up to my breasts and twisted my nipples roughly, until hot sparks of pain shot through my body. "I'm your master, beautiful one. Do you understand me?" I released a garbled sob, and he twisted harder, until I screamed out, "Who am I?" I grunted and whined, "M-master." Baden twisted even more, "Who's master am I, lovely one?" I threw my head back and screamed again, eliciting another twist, "Mine! My master!" he released me and caressed my face, "Good girl, my dear." Baden pulled out a small, ornate blade and made a neat cut on my side. I squirmed, and he moved it to press against the underside of my jaw, "be still, or my hand might slip." I nodded and he returned to his work.

"If I cut just deep enough, this brand should stay in place once the wound heals. That way, if you should ever escape, which is highly unlikely, others will know where to return you." Baden murmured, carefully cutting my skin. The blade brushed over a broken rib, and I tensed. His orange eyes narrowed at me, but he didn't strike out. Finally, he finished his work and smirked at me, "Now, the main course..." he looked down between my legs, "so much blood. It's a shame I wasn't your first. I hope Lykui cherished it." He knelt down and uncuffed my legs. My fight or flight instincts kicked in late, and I started to kick at him. Baden grabbed my ankle and snapped it with a small flex of his muscles. I heard the snap before I felt it, and then I was screaming as he mercilessly roved his thumb over the break, agitating it. "Don't kick your master, dear one, you'll find yourself in a world of pain." He squeezed my ankle, and I screeched again, "Do you understand me, beautiful one?" I nodded shakily, "Yes." He raised a brow, and his hand moved to my other ankle, "Yes _what_?" I backtracked immediately, not wanting to incur any more pain, "Yes... _master_." He smiled, "Good girl," and patted my head. He began to strip, and I tried to blank out again, but it just wasn't happening...

Baden hooked my legs around his hips and slammed into me with crushing force. I threw my head back and screamed as he set a fast, rough pace that had my lower back slamming into the wall behind me. He pressed his face into my neck and bit down on my skin, tearing through at the base of my neck. I could feel his teeth vibrating with a primal growl as he pounded into me. His member was a lot larger than Lykui's, and I could feel my walls tearing and muscles straining as he forced himself into me. He released his hold on my neck to arch back, away from me with his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Mindless growls and snarls escaped him as he lost himself in me. I couldn't be more disgusted and in pain. One on his hands reached out blindly and snagged my right forearm and snapped both bones in his pleasure. I screamed, and he groaned in pleasure, leaning in to bite down on that spot again. I began to lose track of my screams of agony and his groans of pleasure as my mind began to shut down on me. The last thing I registered was him biting and sucking furiously on my lower lip as I passed out from the pain...

No POV

Baden growled like a rabid animal as he fired off into the abused folds of the young girl beneath him. He closed his eyes, shuddering with the aftershocks. Blood was smeared around his lips and trickling down his neck like a macabre scene from a vampire romance novel. He finally opened his eyes and took in the damage that he'd dealt to the young girl. There was blood smeared all over her middle from the brand he'd cut into her ribcage, the side of her throat looked like ground up meat, and her ankle was swollen something fierce. Adding in her earlier injuries, she was definitely in a bad way.

"Did you enjoy yourself, Baden?" He looked up as Lykui entered, "Immensely. You didn't tell me she was pure." The green skin alien shrugged, "I wasn't aware until I saw the blood on her thighs. Her body is exquisite, isn't it?" Baden smiled sadistically, "that it is. I believe with a few more... turns she'll be broken in. she's definitely a screamer, but soon she'll be too scared to do even that. When do we arrive on Nikos?" Lykui smiled softly, "In a few hours. We need to heal her so we can start again. Did you give her the brand?" His friend nodded, "It should leave a clean, legible mark once it heals." Lykui smiled, "good. This is one pleasure slave I don't wish to lose." He walked over to Pan and cupped her face, "so lovely and peaceful, she is." Baden nodded, "soon she'll be just as docile awake as she is when she's asleep. I do appreciate a broken spirited whore."

*On Earth* **(A/N: Time passes differently on Nikos than it does on Earth. On planet Nikos, it's a year for every six earth months, so Pan will be gone for three years Nikos time, and one and a half years Earth time.)**

"Gohan, it's been four whole days and she hasn't turned up. We'll have to assume the worst." Videl whispered brokenly, "they took Pan. I just know it." Gohan sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed, running his hands through his black hair, "I know, Vi, I just wanted... I didn't want to believe it." Videl crawled over to him and cuddled into his back, hugging him around the waist, "What do we do now?" He grasped her hands and kissed the palms, "We'll go talk to Bulma in the morning. Right now, let's try to get some rest so we can sort this out tomorrow. More likely than not, we'll have to head out into space." Videl curled up on her side of the bed, and Gohan spooned in behind her. Together, the couple fell into an uneasy sleep, worried about the welfare of their only child. Little did they know, she'd been hurt physically, mentally, emotionally, and her psyche would never be the same again...

*next morning*

Gohan got up early the next morning. He needed to speak to Bulma urgently and find out where his baby girl had been taken. Videl was right behind him, and soon they were dressed, had eaten a quick breakfast, and were ready to go to Bulma's.

"Hey, Aunt Bulma." Gohan called pleasantly as he entered the lab. "Any leads, dear?" Bulma asked, cutting straight to the chase. "She's been taken, and I need to know if there's any way you can pinpoint where she is." She frowned, "I might be able to if Vegeta can tell me where those aliens might have come from. If he can identify their race, then perhaps I can find their home planet and, in essence, find Panny." Videl grabbed Gohan's hand and squeezed it, "Did he tell you what kind it was?" Bulma sighed and looked down, "He said they were Niko-jin from the planet Nikos. The problem? It's far beyond any probes Capsule Corp has out there, and there's also a time field in that area, according to my husband." Gohan frowned, "time field? What do you mean?" Bulma bit her lip, "time passes differently within the field then it does here on Earth. Vegeta says for every six months here, a year passes there. I'll have to send a probe to get the coordinates as soon as I figure out the direction. It's a shot in the dark, though."

"I know you'll be able to figure it out, Bulma." Videl said softly, "we'll leave you so you can work." Bulma smiled reassuringly at the worried mother, "Hang in there, Videl. We'll bring her home." Videl nodded, "I know, Bulma, I just don't know how long it'll take." Bulma watched the worried parents leave with a nervous look on her face, and then turned back to her work. _The thing is, Videl_, she thought sadly; _I don't know how long it'll take either..._

***Three months later (Earth time) Six months later (Nikos time)***

The young woman sprinted across the rocky plain barefoot, ignoring the cuts she received on the bottom of her small feet. Long black hair flailed behind her as she ran. She was dressed in black rags; something that resembled a skirt and a midriff baring shirt, and her face was partially concealed by a black piece of fabric, so only her eyes showed.

She had to run. It was all she could do. She couldn't stay there and bear the torture any longer, so she waited for an opportunity to strike. One day her mast- her _captors_ left the small home they resided in to go shopping for supplies in the city. She concocted something to put in the guard's food and escaped into the evening sun. She stayed in the trees along the side of the dirt road that led into town and found her way to a women's bordello house that she'd seen when her mast- _captors _had taken her into town one day to buy some _things_ for their more... _unique_ desires for the bedroom. Luckily the collar around her neck allowed her to speak virtually almost every language in the known universe, so it was easy for her to ask someone for help.

Pan's POV

I stumbled into the foyer of the bordello and rushed up to the front desk. From what I'd heard from another pleasure slave, the owner of the bordello was a very sweet woman who would help anyone in need. "What can I do for you, darlin?" the statuesque woman asked, coming around the desk. She has lovely pale gold skin, cheery green eyes, and long indigo hair. She took one look at me and grasped my hand, leading me to a back room. "You're a pleasure slave aren't you?" she asked as soon as she shut the door. "Yes, ma'am." I replied politely, slightly surprised that my time away from home hadn't diminished my manners in the slightest.

"Darlin, if you're branded, I can only do so much for you. You can hide here for a few days, maybe a week at the most, but that's the most I can promise you. I might be able to help you get out of the area, but it will take some time." I nodded gratefully, "thank you so much." She reached out and removed the veil from my face, "Oh, dear me, you're so young... just a babe." I looked down sadly, "I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. My mas- _captors_ attacked my home planet searching for something of great importance. When they weren't able to retrieve it, they took me as a consolation prize. That was about six months ago..." she caressed my cheek, "You poor thing. My name is Avelei." I smiled timidly, "I'm Pan."

Avelei grinned in return, "It's a cute name for such a pretty little thing. Alright, while you're here, you can work in the kitchen, because I know with what you've been through, you can't do the _real _work around here. Can you cook?" I nodded, and her grin grew wider, "That's excellent. I'll find you a fresh set of clothes and get a room ready for you, baby girl. Just stay back here while I do that." I looked around worriedly, "No one will come back here, right?" she nodded, "This is my private office. No one's allowed back here unless I say so. Why don't you rest on the futon while I get things ready for you?" I nodded gratefully and laid on the futon, "Thank you, Miss Avelei." My eyes were shut before she even shut the door behind her.

No POV

Avelei shut and locked the door behind her and went up to the front desk. Two men stood there, openly leering at some of her girls. "Hey," she called, grabbing their attention, "don't eye up my girls unless you got money for their services." The two men scoffed lightly and the one with the green skin and eyes placed his elbows on the desk, "I apologize, Miss...?" she interrupted, "Avelei." He nodded, "Miss Avelei. I'm Lykui, and this is my close friend and partner, Baden. We're looking for our pleasure slave. She seems to have escaped from our estate earlier today, and I was wondering if you've seen her anywhere nearby." She waited for a few seconds, "Do you have a picture of the girl, or a brand that might've been visible on her body?"

Avelei hated the way the Nikos government worked. Any and all branded pleasure slaves were to be returned to their proper owners as soon as they managed to escape, no matter what. Failure to do so was punishable by execution. She had her own under handed business with her three older sisters and their husbands. They would help smuggle pleasure slaves off of the planet. They'd been doing so for the past five years, and they'd yet to get caught. She wasn't going to start now.

"She has a brand of a Byakurei blossom on her upper right ribcage, and she's a mysterious beauty. Black hair, large midnight eyes, and pale skin. She's not very tall, but her body is voluptuous. Her face is very young, and she has shell pink lips that are full and very soft. Have you seen her?" Lykui asked pleasantly, laying two pictures on the desk. One was of a naked, bruised Pan with the fresh brand on her side. Blood and... other fluids ran freely down her inner thighs, and her hair was falling over her face. The second picture was of Pan recently. Her long black hair had been cut to shoulder length, and she looked absolutely miserable and dead inside.

"I haven't seen her, sirs, but I'll be sure to let you know when and if I do. May I have your address so I can reach you if she turns up?" Lykui nodded, "of course," and quickly wrote the address down on a slip of paper Avelei had offered. "Thank you for your time, Miss." She nodded as the two of them left, leaving the pictures with her. She frowned at the brutality the poor young girl had been forced through. _She's just a babe_, she lamented, _just a babe... how do those men sleep at night, knowing that they're violating a child for their own sick pleasures?_ Avelei shuddered and went to get a room ready for Pan. There was a small room that was only accessible through hers, so Pan would be perfectly safe until she could organize for her to be smuggled off planet. Now she had to go check on Pan.

*in the office*

Avelei found the small girl curled up on the futon, sleeping peacefully. She looked even more childlike while she was sleeping and she couldn't help but feel the stirrings of maternal instincts stirring up in her heart. Something in her just demanded that she protect her from ever feeling hurt again. Pan suddenly moaned and flinched, and she realized that the poor thing was probably having a nightmare. "Panny, darlin, wake up." Avelei cooed, rubbing her back comfortingly. Pan whimpered and hugged herself tightly, "no more, please no more... wanna go home... stop it... no..." her voice was full of longing and hurt, and Avelei began to shake her, "Pan, come on, darlin, you gotta wake up, baby." Pan began to cry as she wailed, "I'm sorry, master; I won't do it again! I don't want to be punished, master, please!" Avelei was starting to give up, but then Pan shot up into an upright position, sobbing quietly. "Oh, darlin..." She crooned, hugging the smaller girl to her chest, "it's alright, baby girl... it was all a dream..."

Pan curled up eagerly in her embrace, greedily soaking up the motherly aura Avelei exuded. It had been so long since she'd had any form of a mother figure, and she wasn't about to pass up the chance to have that comfort again, even if it was only briefly. Avelei began to hum a soft tune, running her hands through Pan's hair as the lullaby did its job, soothing Pan into a state of relaxedness. She soon fell asleep in Avelei's arms, and the older woman picked her up to carry her to her room, ignoring the stares she got from some of her girls.

Sundara and Sahasa, a set of twins who worked at the bordello followed Avelei back to her room, curiosity in their large blue eyes. Their skin was a pale turquoise, and their hair was a dark, midnight blue. The only person who could tell the two apart was Miss Avelei.

"Miss Avelei?" Avelei looked up as the twins entered her room, eyeing the girl curiously. "That's the girl those two guys were looking for. Are you going to save her?" the elder woman nodded, "as soon as I'm able to get a hold of Adheres and Alumina. It's their turn to run the operation. Hopefully they don't already have a case, because I need to get this one out of here as soon as possible. Her... owners are the persistent type." She moved over to her armoire and opened a secret doorway to the hidden bedroom she reserved for branded pleasure slaves. _This little one definitely deserves a better hand than the one Fate has dealt out to her..._

*five days later*

Pan was cooking something in the kitchen when one of the twins she'd befriended at the bordello ran up to her with urgency in her eyes. "Um... Sahasa?" the girl nodded and grabbed her hand, "You need to hide. Those men who were searching for you are here again. They came to see if Miss Avelei had seen you." Pan nodded, and the two of them made haste to cross the foyer before anyone could notice them but Baden had sharp eyes, and he spotted the two of them and shouted, "stop there, you whores!" Sahasa paused, but pushed Pan ahead, "go find Miss Avelei!" Pan nodded and ran down the hall to Avelei's room, ignoring the angry shouts of her mas- of _Baden_ behind her. She opened the door and rushed inside, "Miss Avelei!" Avelei came out of the bathroom and rushed over to the frantic girl, "baby girl, what is it?"

"They're here. My- my owners are- they're here! Miss Avelei, I don't want to go back with them; please don't make me go back!" Avelei hugged the frantic girl to her chest, inwardly cursing her sisters. The two of them had several high priority cases this week, and weren't able to get Pan out when she wanted them to. "Pan, stay in your room, and do _not_ come out. I don't care what happens, you stay in here. If you hear someone in my room, climb out of that window and head due east into the wilderness. There's a small town there. My friend owns a bordello there; just tell her I sent you, and she'll know what to do. Her name is Delia. Pack a few things in a bag and head to her place. Do you understand me?" Pan nodded, and Avelei kissed her on the forehead, "good luck, baby girl," and then swept out of the room.

*In the foyer*

"What is the meaning of the commotion, sirs? You're scaring some of my girls." Avelei snapped as she entered the room, green eyes ablaze with anger. "Where is she?" Baden snapped, stepping up to her. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to elaborate, sir; I don't know who '_she_' is." He growled, "You know exactly who _she_ is, wench! Our fucking pleasure slave, that's who!" her eyes narrowed, "There's no need to be vulgar and loud mouthed, sir." His hands curled into fists and he nearly snarled, "One of your '_girls_' kindly told us that you were allowing our pleasure slave to stay here until you could arrange to have her taken off of the planet."

Avelei looked at the crowd of beautiful women, trying to deduce which one of them had done such a thing. A red head named Karina smirked at her. She was pink skinned with bright pink, gem like eyes and a lovely body. She was a favorite amongst the regular customers, and one of her oldest friends.

"Karina... why?" she shrugged, "the law outweighs friendship, Lei, you know that." Avelei narrowed her eyes, "why now? I've done it so many times before, but why did you decide to bat a lash now?" Karina shrugged, "the girl rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't like her; or, more specifically, I didn't like the fact that you loved her so much." Avelei's jaw dropped, "you were jealous of her... Karina, you're my best friend, she's more of a daughter to me." Karina looked apologetic, but there was nothing she could do now, "I'm sorry, Lei."

"You assisted her in escaping her masters. That's punishable by death." Baden snapped, preparing a ki blast in his right hand. "Then so be it." Avelei knew, without a doubt, that she wouldn't mind dying for Pan. The girl was so sweet and innocent, despite the hell she'd been through for the past six months, and she'd come to love her like a daughter in the course of five short days. She found the twins in the crowd and subtly gestured with her eyes for them to go to her room. If she was going to die, then she wasn't going until she made sure Pan had a chance to escape the wrath of her dreadful owners. Judging by the look on Baden's face, Pan was going to be in a world of pain when he got a hold of her. She closed her eyes and went to her happy place as Baden fired the blast through her skull at point blank range...

Pan's POV

I finished packing a few animal skin water bottles and small snacks in a bag, along with three sets of clothes and a change of shoes. Once that was done, I strapped the pack to my back and waited for my signal to run. _I just wish I could go home_, I lamented silently, _I bet my parents are worried sick. I miss them and everyone else so much..._ I grabbed the blanket off of my meager bed and folded it up before tucking it in between my bag and my back, using the straps to hold it in place.

Suddenly the armoire door slid open, revealing the twins. "You have to leave, Pan!" Sundara begged, "Those terrible men killed Miss Avelei. Go, now!" I stood up and hugged them both, "Thank you so much for being there for me when I needed it." Despite myself, tears had begun to trickle down my face. If I ever got home, I would definitely make a trip back here to see these two, and perhaps bring them back with me. They deserved so much better than working for a bordello. "We'll miss you, too, Panny, but you have to go." Sahasa kissed my cheek, "Hopefully we'll meet again in the future." I smiled, "I know we will," and headed to the window and scrambled up the wall to climb out.

Before I could get myself entirely out of the window, I heard a scream, and then two strong hands were wrapped around my ankles, pulling me back into the room. I screamed and kicked my assailant in the face, but it was too late. Familiar blue skinned arms wrapped around my body as I kicked and wailed, trying to free myself from his grip.

"There's no use fighting, you little whore," Baden hissed, "When we get you back home... you will pay _dearly_ for trying to escape. When I get through with you, running away will be nothing but a fond memory, you little slut." He turned to Lykui, "Make sure the whips are ready when we get to the house. I call first turn with her for her punishment."

I was dragged through the foyer by my hair, screaming and kicking the entire way. The other girls watched me go by, apologies in their eyes. I spotted Avelei's body lying prone on the floor, purplish blood pouring from her head, and I went _nuts_. "AVELEI! NO, _AVELEI!_"I somehow managed to break Baden's hold on my hair, and crawled across the linoleum to grab onto her. I buried my face in her cold chest and wailed for her to come back; to take me with her and save me from these barbarians. I could feel Lykui trying to separate me from her corpse, but I was somehow resisting him, despite my lack of ki. I whispered her name like a prayer, begging for her to hold me and protect me. It had felt so good to be taken care of for the first time after six months of pure hell. Six months of spending day and night after day and night being tortured, beaten and raped by total strangers. Six months of being broken down into a lifeless husk. Now that I had experienced freedom, I never wanted to go back.

Suddenly, her body was ripped away from me, and I began to screech and bawl, reaching out for her fallen body as Baden dragged me back up the road to their meager home. People came out of their shops and homes to watch. Women covered their children's' eyes and turned away from me in shame. Some men leered at me, and others watched Baden with malice and hate in their eyes. There was nothing they could do for me, for I was branded as theirs.

When we got to the house, Baden dragged me into the kitchen and threw me face first into the sink by the back of my head. I screamed in pain as my nose broke, but he was already grabbing the back of my head and screaming in my face.

"... what the fuck were you thinking, trying to run!? You. ARE. _MINE!_ No one else can have you! Do you understand?! _THIS IS MINE_," He roared, grabbing my breasts roughly, "_AND SO IS THIS_," he grabbed my bum and kneaded it, "_AND THIS WILL ALWAYS BE MINE!_" With a primal snarl, he ripped my pants and underwear off, and shoved three fingers inside of me. I screeched in pain as a few several day old tears that had been healing tore open with his possessive movements. "SHUT UP!" He roared and sank his teeth into the side of my neck.

Mindlessly, he pushed me onto the kitchen table and took me with bone crushing force. Never in my life had I screamed and bawled as loudly as I did then. I could feel more than a little bit of blood pouring down my legs, along with his... fluids. By the time he was done, he had demolished my face, ribcage, pelvis, and my right leg in his enraged lust. My arms were shattered from when I'd tried to push against his chest to escape the pain.

He climbed off of me and grabbed me by the hair, dragging me down into the cellar. I knew what was next, but I was too weak and broken up to try and fight against him. There were two posts in the cellar, set equidistance apart with shackles attached to the tops and bottoms of each post. He chained me up accordingly and went to a cupboard in the corner. He dug around for a few minutes, and then came back up with a whip with seven tongues, each tipped with animal fangs. I bit my lip and forced myself to drift to my happy place as the first swing came down. My happy place wasn't enough to combat that pain, and I arched my back with a gut wrenching cry. _Mama... Papa... I need you..._ _someone save me from this nightmare..._ the whip continued to come down, swing after swing, and my screams went on well into the night. He didn't stop until he reached bone, and my throat was too swollen and worn out to release anything louder than a soft mewl. By the time he was finished, I was promising profoundly that I would never leave them again. I wouldn't be able to bear it if someone else was killed because of me, and I refused to let it happen. _Never again..._

*on Earth* No POV

In her fitful rest, Videl felt the presence of her baby girl wash over her so profoundly; it was almost like she was right there in the room with her. Beside her, Gohan felt the same thing, and tightened his grip on his mate. _She's in pain_, Videl realized, _my little girl's in pain, but I don't know why._ As quickly as her presence washed over their minds, it faded, and the distraught parents sat up, looking at each other worriedly. "Did you feel her, Gohan?" Videl asked, gripping his hand. "Yes, I felt her. She was in pain and she wanted someone to help her... she needs us, Vi." Videl whimpered, "Oh, I hope Bulma can figure out where that planet is soon. She needs us." Gohan kissed her forehead and pulled her back into a reclining position, "let's try to go back to sleep. There's no use staying up all night, worrying ourselves." Videl nodded and curled up against his side, falling into an uneasy rest.

*Nikos* **(A year and a half, Nikos time; nine months, Earth time)**

After that attempt to run away from her captors, Pan never tried to escape again. She refused to risk getting anyone involved and eventually killed because of her. Slowly, but surely, Baden and Lykui broke her fiery spirit down, and by that time the next year, she was a submissive husk of her former self. It wasn't without a fight however. While she didn't try to run from the house, she did try to run from Baden and Lykui when they desired to relieve themselves, but that only got her chained up in the cellar for months on end with no food and endless whippings. When she was finally allowed to freely roam the estate again, they were no longer Baden and Lykui, but 'Master'.

"Beautiful one, please be sure to have dinner ready by the time we get back to have dinner ready by the time we return tonight." Lykui crooned, cupping Pan's cheek. "Yes, Master." Pan whispered, handing him his freshly pressed shirt. "Sweet girl, I'm afraid you'll have to dress me." Baden called out from the stairway, smirking in a combative manner. Pan, however, knew better than to defy him, and simply replied, "That's alright, Master. I don't mind in the slightest." Baden smiled evilly, "Oh, I know you don't, dear girl," he glanced at Lykui, "What did I tell you? And it only took just under a year to break her in."

Pan carefully buttoned up Baden's shirt, blatantly ignoring the possessive, triumphant smirk he had painted across his face. She knew that he owned her, so why did he need to rub that in her face? He'd showed her time and time again that he was the one she belonged to. She knelt down to pull his pants up to his waist, and his erect member nudged her cheek. Wordlessly, she took it in her mouth, servicing him as she worked his feet into the pants legs. His hand gripped the hair at the base of her skull tightly, pushing her face further into his groin. Pan took him in her throat and made swallowing actions, making him growl and grunt like a wild animal. He continued to pound her face into his groin, and snarled loudly as his release gushed into her stomach in long, hot spurts. She took it all, cleaned him up, and tucked him into his underpants and pulled his pants up around his waist, buttoning them up and fastening his belt.

"There you go, Master. You're prepared for your mission." Pan turned to go, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Do you wish you could leave me, Pan?" He asked solemnly. "I have no desire to leave my Master." She replied monotonously. Baden laughed maliciously, "I don't buy this '_broken spirit_' act you're pulling. You're just biding your time, waiting for an opening to try to leave again, aren't you?" she said nothing, and rage began to flare behind his eyes, "You are, you little slut," he wrapped his hand around her neck and picked her up, "well, listen to this, whore. The only way you're leaving me is in a pile of ashes." Pan waited until he put her down to speak, "I understand, Master," and left the room. Baden watched her go, just short of panting with rage. _She's not leaving me. I'll never let her go. Never. She's mine..._

During the mission that night, Lykui mysteriously perished while facing an opponent much weaker than he. The only person who witnessed the murder was his partner, Baden. Pula, their third group member, mysterious committed suicide by way of a thin ki beam straight through the brain. He never even made it out of his pod. Again, the only person to vouch for this was Baden, who claimed watching Lykui die pushed the younger soldier over the edge. Lykui was killed by total decapitation, which was rather strange, considering that every cut was clean, despite the fact that the creatures they were facing had jagged edges to their claws and tails.

Pan was shocked to see Baden come home alone, and went to ask him where Lykui was. She found him in the library, sitting by the fire, drinking a bottle of liquor. His clothing was covered in blood. Abandoning her sense of self-preservation, she walked over to him and asked, "Master, if I may ask... where is my other Master?" Baden looked up at her blearily; eyes glazed with intoxication, "I didn't want to share anymore," and replied in a soft voice. Before she could leave, he bent her over the armchair and took her roughly, severely bruising her spine. As he did so, he explained that he had killed his longtime friend and an innocent bystander so that he could have her all to himself, and then lost himself within her. Once he'd finished, he left her alone in the library to clean up, and went to bed.

**(Two years, Nikos time; one year, Earth time)**

Things had changed once Lykui had died. Baden found himself whipping Pan for things she hadn't done, and was still thoroughly convinced that she was planning an escape. When missions went the wrong way, he took his frustrations out on her, hitting and punching and kicking her until she couldn't get up, and laid on the floor, puking up blood. He often left her on the floor all night, only taking her to bed when he wanted to have sex with her; whether she was wounded or not. She had gotten to the point where she no longer cried out, even when he was so rough with her; most of her anterior bones were left shattered. The only time he could get her to scream was with the whip, and that wasn't often enough to satisfy him. There had to be something else he could do to break her. He'd violated her in every way he could think of, beaten her to near death, and whipped her until the cutaneous tissue of her back and thighs showed. What more could he do? _I'll find something... there's got to be something I can do to break her down into nothing..._

**(A/N: I wouldn't call the feelings Baden has for Pan 'love'. It's more a sick, not-so-slightly psychotic obsession. He gets off on her pain, so what happens when she starts acclimating to his treatment? He finds new ways to make her scream in agony. He's not in love with her, just obsessed and driven mad by her. You don't have to tell me that I'm twisted, darlings, I already know it. What it is, in his mind, she's still the fiery little devil who broke his nose when they clashed on Earth two Nikos years ago, and he has to break her spirit, even if it kills him... and it eventually will.)**

"Pan, come with me." Baden ordered from his position in the doorway of the kitchen. Pan removed the dish from the oven and turned it off, "yes, Master," and followed him outside. The clouds overhead were thick and colored a deep, menacing gray. In the distance, lightning could be seen, and judging by the scent of electricity and rain in the air, the storm was coming this way soon. Baden led her deep into the forest, and, by the time they'd gotten to the clearing he'd found earlier on in the week, it was pouring down raining. There were two metal poles, about thirty feet high, with metal shackles attached to them. Wordlessly, Baden chained Pan in between the two poles and stepped away from her, heading back to the trees to watch the magic happen.

Pan watched him go, slightly confused. What had she done this time? Last she checked her behavior as of late had been stellar. She cooked his meals, went to his bed willingly, and kept the house clean and in working order. What had she done to be chained up outside, in the middle of a thunderstorm? Did he still believe she was going to run away again? What did she have to do to prove to him that she was too afraid to run again?

A bolt of lightning lanced down from the sky and struck one of the poles. The electricity conducted straight through the metal shackles, and into Pan's body. Baden watched, entranced, as her back arched with a shrill, gut wrenching shriek. To him, she never looked more beautiful than when she did while screaming in pain. It was just... primal to him. Seeing her in pain did things to him that no other woman could ever hope to accomplish. He had to have her. He watched as a second volt of lightning came down... then a third... a fourth... he was beginning to lose himself under the thrall of her delicious cries of agony. His member was hard and erect in his pants, and he could feel himself weeping as he watched her body writhing and bucking under the thrall of the lightning.

By the time the storm passed, Pan had been struck by lightning at least fifty times. She was lucky to still be alive. Baden rushed over to her as the storm rolled on to the next part of the town and unshackled her feet. Delirious with pain, Pan could barely stay conscious as he took her rabidly, primal noises ripping from his chest. She passed out as soon as he got around to biting into her throat, his usual ritual when it came to raping her.

Baden growled as Pan's head lolled back, gripping her slim waist with his hands as he pounded into her, desperately trying to find his release. "_You're mine,_" he crooned, "_All mine... mine, mine, mine..._" with a primal roar, he came violently, "_MINE!_" His hips began to slow, and he pulled out, watching the blood and semen trickle down her rain-soaked legs triumphantly. He leaned in and lapped at the blood pouring from the wound on her neck, "Mine... mine, mine, mine, mine, mine..." became his constant mantra as he undid the shackles and carried her back to their home. He laid her in her bed and stood over her, murmuring feverishly as he licked his lips, tasting her blood. The tangy, spicy liquid was nirvana on his tongue, and it was all he could to not take her again as she slept fitfully.

**(One year and three months, Earth time; Two and a half years, Nikos time)**

Bulma jumped up from her computer victoriously and ran up the stairs to the kitchen, where her family was eating breakfast. All of them looked up at her curiously. She hadn't been this enthusiastic about a discovery since before Pan went missing. "Woman, what is it?" Vegeta asked, though not as harshly as he usually would. He knew she'd been working herself down to the bone, trying to find her godson's daughter.

"I found the planet. Nikos. It'll take us three months to get there, so we need to gather up everything and leave as soon as possible." Bulma rambled, smiling widely, "I need to call Videl and Gohan and let them know," and then she left the room, skipping like a young girl. Bra beamed, "I'll get to see Panny again. I can't wait till she comes back home." Trunks nodded, "me too." Vegeta spoke up, bursting their bubbles, "brats, you forget that anything could have happened to her while she was on Nikos. None of us know what condition she'll be in when we find her, or if she'll be _alive_. That planet is known for having pleasure slaves, after all." Bra's eyes began to water, "so she's most likely been..." she trailed off, unable to say anymore. Vegeta nodded once, and she left the table, crying softly.

Trunks watched her go, and then turned to his father, "so there's no chance that she hasn't been... you know... violated?" Vegeta nodded, "The men on that planet have strange desires when it comes to bedding a woman, but it's something that all of them have a knack for. In other words, they're always horny; it's disgusting. They're also a piracy planet, so they go around, looting out other planets. They came to us searching for the dragon balls, but I guess the ones that took her have a thing for exotic women, because the women on their planet are colored in every range of hues you can imagine. Pan must have been a change for them."

"Pan's probably a totally different person now." Trunks muttered, thinking of the bubbly little girl that he'd watched grow up into a beautiful, charming young woman. _It's no wonder they took her_, he realized, _she's absolutely gorgeous, and her spirit was probably a plus as well. I can't imagine how much she's changed, but I know it'll be drastic_. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at his father, "Dad?" Vegeta raised a brow, "we should prepare for this trip, son." Trunks nodded and headed up to his room to pack.

*later on that day*

"I've set the coordinates up in the computer, everyone. Take care, and bring her home safely." Bulma finished programming the computer on the ship and gestured for them to get on. Vegeta, Trunks, Gohan, Videl, Goten, Bra, Goku, and, shockingly, _Chichi_ were going. Juuhachi, Krillin, Marron, and Uub were also going. Bulma was going to stay behind and run Capsule Corp in Trunks's place, as well as manning the computers and making sure the others stayed on track.

"Alright, Aunt Bulma, we'll see you in three months." Gohan gave her a hug, "thank you so much." Bulma smiled and kissed his cheek, "you're welcome. You know I'd do anything for that little girl." Videl hugged her next and whispered her own thanks in her ear. She smiled and patted Videl's shoulder, "be careful out there. I've already had one stint in outer space, and one is enough for me." Videl laughed and smirked, "surely it wasn't that bad, Bulma." Bulma rolled her eyes, "You're saying that now; let's see how you fare when you get back here." The two women shared a laugh, and then Gohan led his wife onto the ship._ I hope Panny's alright... wherever she is_.

*On Nikos*

"Doctor, I don't understand. She can't possibly be... _pregnant_." Baden whispered the word like it was a foul curse. Pan sat on the table, looking up at her Master worriedly. The doctor frowned at him, "she is a pleasure slave, isn't she?" Baden nodded, and the Doctor sighed, "You have intercourse with her on a regular basis without protection. That's how she got to be this way." Baden sniffed irritably, "I want the child aborted immediately. I have no patience for infants." The doctor sighed and nodded, "Whatever you say, Sir Baden." He left the room and Baden leaned over Pan, teeth bared.

"You thought that if you had my child, I would have to stop beating you, didn't you? You dirty, underhanded harlot, I'd beat you anyway! I should be beating you now; how dare you get pregnant, you _slut_!" Pan bit her lip, "Master, I never meant to-" He cut her off, "but you did, didn't you?" she fell silent and gave a meek nod. His hand itched to hit her, to cause her the worst pain imaginable. His hand burned to hold the smooth handle of a whip. "Master, I can't control my body in that way. I never wanted to get preg-" He growled, "so you _don't_ want the honor of carrying my heir, wench?" Pan started to shake, and tears began to brim in her eyes, "Master, your questions confuse me." She whimpered softly. He raised his hand to hit her, and the door swung open, revealing the doctor and a nurse.

"Sir Baden, what are you _doing_?" the doctor demanded, rushing into the room. Baden dropped his hand and shot Pan a heated glare, promising pain and suffering once he got her home. "Nothing, good doctor, I only meant to wipe away her tears. She's frightened of carrying a child." Pan burst into tears, and he nearly struck her, even with the doctor standing there. She was going to give him away!

There was a very strict law when it came to abusing pleasure slaves. You were allowed to have sex with them, yes, but abuse was an entirely different story. Any harm the slave suffered outside of sex could end up with the owner losing his claim over the slave, branded or not. He couldn't risk losing her. The very thought of another man touching what was his... rage blossomed in his chest, but he stepped away to allow the doctor to prep her for the procedure.

"You'll feel a bit of discomfort, miss, but nothing too painful." The Doctor raised her gown and gently spread her legs. Pan shut her eyes as a speculum was worked into place, opening her up so the doctor could work the vacuum into her cervix. _The things this poor child has been through, _he lamented, taking in the abused folds of her privates, _he should be ashamed of himself; forcing himself onto a child. _With a practiced hand, he triggered the vacuum and watched the unborn life syphon into the tubing. Once he was sure everything was out, he turned off the vacuum and removed the speculum. Blood poured freely from her privates, and he frowned, "You'll be bleeding for a few hours, and there will be discomfort. I suggest you take it easy for the next four hours," he sent a meaningful glance at Baden, "failure to do so could perhaps induce a hemorrhage or even infection, and I don't think we want that."

"I'll take her home, now." Baden moved from the wall, "I'll make sure she takes it easy." The nurse gave Pan a fresh pair of underwear with what appeared to be a pad in the seat and helped her get into them. "I would suggest against making her walk, sir Baden." He hefted her into his arms and left the room, grumbling under his breath about intrusive doctors and nurses.

When he got back to the estate, he headed down into the cellar and shackled her in place, and then spent a good six hours whipping the skin from her back, pleasuring himself to the sound of her agonized screams. When he finished whipping her, he came behind her and spurted his creamy gift all over her raw back, inciting a shriek as the contact made her wounds burn. He cleaned himself up, hosed her back off, bandaged her up, and dropped her off in her room, dressing her and giving her a fresh pad. Little did he know; this wasn't the first time she'd been pregnant by him...

The first time had been a month before her attempt to run away, and she forced the abortion with a sliver of glass and her bare hands. The second time, she'd fallen down two flights of stairs when they went out to the store, and the third time, she'd willingly allowed herself to be trampled by a team of horse-like creatures that were pulling a carriage. The fourth and fifth times, she used the handle of one of Baden's whips, and the sixth time was using a small blade she'd found while tending the garden. This would be the eighth time, as the seventh was triggered, unknowingly, by Baden himself, during one of his beatings. A knee to the lower gut was all it took, and she spent the night in the bathroom, watching her unborn child flow from her womb, and down the drain. Those were some of the few times where she cried, because, despite herself, she loved those children unconditionally, and hated to see them die in such a barbaric way, but it had to be done. There was no way he'd allow her to have them, let alone keep them, so an abortion it must be...

**(A/N: Alright, enough suffering for Panny. I'm going to split this right down the middle, so the second part's going to be all recovery. I'm time skipping to the end of her three years in hell, and the death of Baden. Who else is ready for some angry Papa-Gohan action?)**

***Three years, Nikos time; a year and a half, Earth time***

Pan dragged herself to bed after a long session of being whipped and raped repeatedly by her Master. There was a storm coming tomorrow, and that meant being electrocuted until she couldn't feel her entire body. Whimpering and hissing quietly, covered her back with gauze and got into her pajamas. Once she was in bed, she fingered her collar and thought of her parents. It had been three long, torturous years since she'd seen them last, and she knew that they weren't coming. If they hadn't found her by now, then what was the point? Even if they did, she knew there was nothing they could do. She belonged to Master now. It took her a year and a half to get it, but she understood now. Her body and soul were his to command and use as he pleased. What she wanted meant _nothing_; it was _his_ desires that were paramount. She was his plaything that he used whenever he felt like it. She understood her place in life, and she would never forget it.

Early the next morning, two things happened simultaneously. The Z-Senshi landed on planet Nikos, and Baden burst into Pan's room in a drunken rage. Pan sat up, groaning as she disturbed her wounds, "Master, what is it-" he wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze, "You bitch, you had this planned all along!" she whimpered, trying to loosen his grip, "Master, what do you mean?" he snarled, "They're here, and they'll come straight here to find me and take you away from me." She reached up to cup his face, "Master, I won't leave you. I promise." His scowl crumpled and he whined pitifully, "they'll take you away... take you away..." she ran her hands through his hair, "I won't go, Master, I promise." He buried his face in her neck and wept like a child, and she held him, murmuring comforts. _Master's needs are paramount, _she reminded herself; _Master comes first_.

*Meanwhile* **(A/N: It switches perspectives at each paragraph, so watch out for that.)**

"Do you feel that ki spiking?" Goten asked, "he was one of the ones who attacked earth. So where he is-" Gohan finished, "Pan must be. Let's get a move on." he barely waited for Videl to climb onto his back before launching into flight. Uub stayed back with ship, along with Chichi, Bra, Marron, and Krillin.

Baden got off of Pan and picked her up, sensing both the incoming threat and the storm overhead. If he died today, he wasn't going without hearing Pan's beautiful, agonized screams one last time... and then he would take her down with him. With that thought, he lowered his ki and ran into the forest, determined to beat the storm.

Gohan cursed as the ki abruptly vanished, and looked up at the storm clouds worriedly. It looked like one hell of a storm was gathering. "Gohan, why don't we land before we get struck by lightning?" Videl said softly. Everyone acquiesced and landed in a small clearing in the trees. "So, what do we do now?" Goten asked softly. "We check the place where that ki was. He probably sensed us coming and hid his ki. There's a chance he might still be there." Gohan replied, "If not, we search the forest. If he's lowered his ki so much that we can't sense it, then he's got to be traveling on foot and can't have gotten far." Vegeta grunted in agreement and took to the skies with Goku not far behind.

*Baden*

Baden carefully shackled Pan to the tall metal posts, but moved quickly, as the storm was nearly on top of them. Once he'd finished, he looked in her face... and _finally_ saw the broken young woman instead of the feisty spitfire he'd encountered on earth. He started to say something, but only air escaped, and he backed away, watching the skies. The first bolt of lightning ripped through the air and struck both posts. Pan saw white as the electricity ripped into her, her body writhing and bucking hysterically. Her back arched so till it seemed like it was physically impossible for one's back to bend that much, and a shrill screech escaped her. Baden moaned as his member hardened within his pants. He loved her pain so much; it drove absolutely insane with pleasure. The second bolt hit, and he began to palm his erection as Pan screamed long and hard to the heavens. He briefly wondered how long he would last until he exploded in his pants.

Overcome by need and lust, he tore his trousers away and stumbled over to her. He didn't care that he'd be struck by lightning as well; he just _had_ to have her one last time. Throwing caution to the wind, he hooked her legs around his waist and took her as hard as he could muster, using his ki to amplify each and every thrust. The lightning warping through his body only heightened his pleasure, and he greedily sank his teeth into her neck, just under her collar; his usual spot, suckling the blood that poured out like a newborn babe would suckle at its mother's teat. He didn't even notice her bones snapping and crunching under the force of his vigor, or the fact that her screams morphed from ones of agony... to the final cries of a dying woman. Her ribcage was compressing on her organs, and the warning the nurse had given about hemorrhaging was a distant memory, as more blood that semen gushed; not poured, but _gushed_ from between her legs. Baden was oblivious to it all, shivering and growling like a rabid dog in rut. With a primal howl, he came within her, humping into her desperately to draw every bit of pleasure he could from her body.

And _that_ is how her enraged father found them; some extra-terrestrial male sowing his seed within the half-dead body of his daughter. His mouth was dripping with her blood, and the rain coming down in torrent washed over him as he pulled out of her and stepped away. A bolt of lightning came down and struck the pole, and Pan arched her back with a shriek of pure suffering. The light from the bolt also allowed Baden to see Gohan's enraged face, and he moved to protect what was his with a snarl, crouching slightly.

"You can't have her! She's mine!" he screamed, powering up. Gohan was too angry to think straight, let alone form a reply, so he simply powered up and lunged, taking the hysterical Niko-jin down with him. The two men grappled in the mud; their only light was the sparks of the ki, and the bolts of lightning that kept Pan's half-dead body from collapsing entirely. Her screams served as a chilling background to the deadly fight taking place on the ground.

Gohan's ki charged fist missed Baden by millimeters as he rolled away, growling as he leapt to his feet, but he wasn't prepared for the snap kick that sent him sprawling into a tree stump. Juuhachi moved towards Pan, quickly broke the shackles, and launched into flight with Videl into tow. If they didn't get her a senzu bean soon, she would die. Baden wasn't about to let them leave so easily, and launched a purple ki blast after them. Goten moved to intercept it, giving the women leeway to escape to the ship. Baden roared and threw himself at the angry father, but Gohan was more than prepared and caught him by the foot, flinging him through a few acres worth of trees. He could barely see through the torrential rain, but barely was good enough for him. He launched into flight at the same time as the other man, and shockwaves erupted as they moved at the speed of light, launching powerful, deadly blows at one another.

*With Pan*

"Bra!" Bra stood up as soon as she heard her name, and rushed to the ship's door to open it. Juuhachi and Videl landed before her, the former cradling a bundle in her arms. "Get a senzu bean for Pan." Videl ordered, leading the way to the bedroom. Once there, Videl cleared off the cot and gestured for Juu to lay Pan down. Once she did the two mothers and Chichi got to work cleaning Pan up and taking in her injuries.

Bra, the pre-med student, took over and frowned, "she's had an abortion recently. That's where all this blood is coming from." Chichi swooned slightly, but refused to faint. She had to be strong for her granddaughter. Marron came in with the bean and crushed it up before dropping it at the back of Pan's mouth. Bra massaged her throat so she'd be forced to swallow it down, and sighed with relief as the wounds began to slowly heal. Now all they had to do was wait for her to awaken, and then deal with the aftermath. _Dende knows what she's been through..._ Bra thought sadly, caressing Pan's pale cheek, _but I only hope that whatever it may be, she can rise from the ashes..._

*In the clearing* **(Makankosappo: Special Beam Cannon.)**

Gohan panted slightly, not tired in the least. He couldn't say the same for his opponent, however. Where Gohan was unwounded, save for a small scratch above his left eyebrow, Baden had a crushed ribcage, his left eye was swollen shut, an arm had shattered; he tried to punch Gohan dead-on in the face, and his pelvis was broken. Gohan was done playing around and phased out. He appeared before Baden and calmly ripped his privates from his body, ignoring the scream that erupted from the man's lips. "You won't need these where you're going." The elder Son said softly, and then began charging a Masenko Ha, "Say hello to Cell and Bojack when you get back home, will you?" Baden glowered at him, "She's mine, you foolish bastard, and she always be _mine_, no matter what happens to me. You'll see." His anger flared again, and Gohan switched from a Masenko to a Makankosappo, "Burn in hell, you piece of shit," and fired the attack straight through his eye. Baden briefly remembered Pan saying those exact same words when he first captured her, and smiled faintly as the attack melted his brain.

As the man fell flat on his face in the mud, Gohan backed away, panting slightly. He usually abhorred killing... but this was an exception. This... trashy excuse of life thought he could violate and torture _his child_ and get away with it? Ha, not on his life. Gohan raised his hand again and, with a single blast, wiped the remains of that... psychotic freak from the face of the earth. A strong hand fell on his shoulder, and he turned to look at his father, "Dad?" Goku rubbed his shoulder, "You did the right thing, Gohan." He nodded, "I know I did, Dad." The two of them walked back over to the others, who were watching with solemn faces. "Let's go back to the ship." He said softly, and everyone launched into flight.

*At the ship* Pan's POV **(A/N: Finally, Pan's POV!)**

I came to without any aches and pains, and sat up sharply, dislodging my blanket and revealing my naked chest. Save for the brand on my side, and countless scars, my skin was unblemished. I noticed a few people sitting around the bed I was in, but I didn't take the time to register their faces. _Where's Master? If he finds out I'm gone, he'll be angry_! I broke down into tears, and a woman wrapped her arms around me, murmuring something. I pulled away from her and threw my blanket off of my body, "Where's Master?" I tried to leave the room, but a blonde woman grabbed me and put me back in the bed, pinning me down as she did so. I wriggled and screamed for Master to come get me, fighting against her with everything I had. I couldn't let them be killed, not like Miss Avelei. If they tried to help me escape they'd be killed; they'd all be murdered, and I didn't want any more blood on my hands. _Avelei... my babies..._ Innocent lives had been lost because of me, and I couldn't bear to add any more people to that list.

Someone grabbed my face and leaned over me, yelling something at me. I focused on her face, trying to recall the features. She had pretty black hair, sharp, yet gentle features, and beautiful periwinkle eyes. "... Panny, its Mama," she crooned, "it's alright; he can't hurt you anymore." I relaxed in her hold, and happy tears began to slide down my cheeks, "Mama, you came..." she wrapped me in a hug, "Yes, I'm here, and I'm never leaving you again," I could hear a hitch in her breath as she ran her hands through my hair and rubbed my back, and realized she was crying. _What if Master comes? Master would kill Mama..._ I pulled away from her and grabbed her shoulders, "Mama, you need to leave. If Master finds you here, he'll kill you." She frowned; confused, "Master? Pan, who is Master?" I shook my head, "I'm not allowed to say Master's name or he'll give me a hundred lashes with the whip." Her jaw clenched, and she turned to someone else. I slowly began to recognize the other women in the room. Bra, Marron, Grandma Chichi, and Aunt Juu. Grandma moved towards me, "Sweetie, you're safe here. Just tell us who-" the door started to swing open, and I screamed and cowered against the wall on the other side of the bed, thinking it was Master.

"Pan? What's wrong with her?" _That voice._ I pulled my blanket around my naked body and looked up at him through my hair. He was soaking wet and a small cut above his eyebrow was bleeding a thin trail of red down the side of his face. "P- Papa?" I whispered, brushing my hair out of my face. "Pan-chan, it's okay. He can't hurt you anymore." _Did he mean Master? Master would always be able to hurt me, no matter what happened. Even if I escaped him, he'd find a way to get me back and then he'd-_ I closed my eyes and whimpered. I didn't want to remember. Even though I was well used to him... violating me, I still wanted to forget it all every time it happened.

"Panny, what is it?" I looked up at Papa and shook my head, "I'll never be safe from Master." He sighed softly and then smiled faintly at me, "well, we're taking you back home." I shrugged, "it doesn't matter. Master will always find me. I can't escape Master." My mother grabbed my father's hand and left the room with him. I watched them go, slightly hurt. Did I upset them by telling them the truth? I knew they probably wanted me back home, but they had to understand... _I belong to Master now_.

No POV

"I can't tell her I killed him. It'll send her straight into a mental breakdown, and that's something we don't need right now." Gohan told his wife sadly, "We'll have to let her heal from this complex on her own." She frowned angrily, "I know, but I just- it feels like we're losing her all over again, even though she's sitting right there in that room. I can't even recognize my own daughter, Gohan. She's just... she's like some sort of _robot_ or _zombie_ or something. That _piece of shit_ broke our little girl." Her fists clenched, and she felt the urge to hit something to release her frustration. "Vi, just relax. We only have the slightest idea of what she's been through, and it doesn't seem pretty. I don't blame her for developing a complex to cope with it all." Videl started to cry, and he pulled her into his chest, "I miss her, Gohan." He kissed the top of her head, "We'll just have to bring her back, love." _If I know my girl, she's more than strong enough to rise from the ashes..._

* * *

**And that marks the end of part one. When I say this was difficult to write, I mean it was absolute hell. I love Pan; she's my favorite DBZ character, and it just about killed me to put her through this mess. Part two will deal with recovery, relapses, and, perhaps, newfound love. I'm not sure if I want this to end as a TxP, because I need to focus on Pan healing and learning to stand on her own again before I think about pairing her off with someone. Placing her with Trunks too soon would be like giving a recovering alcoholic the key to a winery or something. Trunks would only baby her, rather than force her to stand up for herself. Her parents will do this at first, but they'll soon realize that it's not what she needs. Pan is the type of person who needs to be pushed, rather than coddled. We'll see how I'll portray her struggle to heal and move on in part two. Much Love, SukiChan12^-^**


	2. So it Begins

**Alright, I've given myself two weeks to stew over this and create something unbearable, heart wrenching, and all together seemingly impossible, and I've decided to go off the top of my head. I had several little inklings down on paper, but I don't know how this is going to work out. It was so easy; but yet hard, to write the grueling part, and now, when it comes to getting Panny better, I draw so many blanks. This isn't something I've personally dealt with, so forgive me for not knowing how the recovery of a rape victim progresses... and then we have her complex... I think the complex might be the most difficult thing for her to get over. We shall see.**

**Start Date: March 28, 2013**

**No POV**

Pan walked into her bedroom silently, taking in her childhood abode with a cool, collected eye. It felt like an eternity since she last slept under the soft peach sheets of the suspended canopy bed that made up the centerpiece of the room. The circular shaped bed was suspended by metal rods, painted to look like mahogany wood. Solid white curtains surrounded the bed, overlaid with peach lace curtains. The bed itself was suspended above a platform with two steps down to the rest of her bedroom. The mahogany vanity was in the same place, cluttered with assorted jewelry pieces and several pictures of herself, Bra, Marron, Trunks, Goten, and Uub.

The young woman frowned at a group picture of the six of them on the beach. When was the last time she ever truly _smiled_? She knew the answer to that question. A good three years and an eternity ago, when she was a carefree seventeen year old with nothing to worry about beyond her impending graduation and the beginning of her life as a college student. A shadow of loss showed itself within her chest, and she reached up to press her hand against her ribcage.

She'd lost so much in the last three years. Three birthdays went uncelebrated and forgotten, that full-ride scholarship she received from Silver City University; as well as a reserved slot for her once she began medical school, and the copious amounts of time she could have spent with her family and friends... She wanted to cry, but she couldn't bring herself to. Master wouldn't appreciate her showing weakness.

A soft hand on her shoulder made her reel back with a soft cry. Pan whirled around and braced herself against the wall, "Mas- Mama..." Videl kept her distance, watching her child carefully for any signs of further distress. "I'm so sorry, Mama, I- I just- Oh kami, I'm _sorry_." Pan whispered, agonized.

_Why_ couldn't she stop acting like a skittish animal? Her parents couldn't fool her; she knew it hurt them every time she flinched away from their touch. There was always a flash of emotion in their face before they covered it up with soft smiles, trying to placate her.

"Baby girl, it's okay. You're not yourself." Videl reached out cautiously to lay a hand on her forearm. When Pan didn't reject her or stiffen in any way, she beamed. This was a plus and a good one too; considering they'd been home for all of three days. Pan heaved a sigh and pulled away, "I want to be alone." Videl's smile collapsed into a frown, "Um... okay, sweet heart. Just call if you need anything." The worried mother left the room and shut the door behind her.

Pan stared at the closed door blankly, and then walked over to her old window seat and prepared herself to wait. If she remained in her room; isolated from the others, then she would not grow attached to them again, and it wouldn't hurt when Master came to take her back. At least not _much_. A near crippling wave of longing and loss rippled through her body; she wanted her mother to be able to hold her tight and whisper sweet complacent words of comfort in her ear. She wanted her father to whisk her away and protect her from the convoluted, twisted feelings she felt every day for the past year and a half. She wanted to feel _loved _again; something she hadn't felt since those five precious days she spent with Miss Avelei.

_Miss Avelei..._

Guilt and remorse stung and nipped at her soul, and she wrapped her arms around her body to hold herself together as the memory of Avelei's dead body on the floor of the bordello foyer washed over her. Pan remembered desperately clinging to the lifeless husk, screaming and pleading for the beautiful soul who once inhabited it to come back for her; to wrap her up in her angelic embrace and carry her away to paradise. She knew why Miss Avelei didn't return to grant her request; however. It was all clear to her now. Miss Avelei could now see her for the tainted, used, filthy little whore that she was, and realized that she was much too impure to be allowed within the gates of heaven.

'_I deserved to be left behind_...' Pan leaned her forehead against the cool glass, '_I deserve to be rotting in hell like all of the disgusting creatures like myself._'

She remembered the things Master would scream at her during her whippings; she was only good for lying on her back for him, sucking him off, and giving him pleasure. He called her an abomination; devil's spawn, scum of the earth... disgusting, impure little whore. In the beginning, she'd fought herself; trying her best not to believe the things he said about her, but, with more beatings, she soon realized that he was right. She wasn't good for anything more than giving him pleasure, and soon, she would return to doing just that.

Small hands caressed the cool metal ring encircling her pale throat, keeping her ki locked away deep inside of her. She couldn't even remember what it was like to use her ki; to fly like a bird and move at the speed of light. Time blurred into nothing during the eternity spent with Master. How old was she now? Surely she must be in her early twenties if not her late teens.

Pan's arms wrapped around her knees as she fought hard against the heated prickling in her eyes. She wouldn't cry; not for this. So what, she couldn't recall her age, or the last time she'd flown, or the last time she'd been truly happy and carefree?

Pan had convinced herself that happiness came from meeting Master's needs, but she knew she was only lying to herself... she just didn't want to acknowledge it. Master's happiness was her happiness, and that was that.

*Meanwhile*

"She hasn't left her room in three days," Videl said softly, "and I don't think she even sleeps at night, let alone at all. She won't eat the food I leave for her."

Bulma took the cup of tea that the worried mother offered and began pouring milk and sugar into it, "You don't know what she's been through, Videl. Perhaps this is something she has to overcome and heal from on her own?" The younger woman sighed, "I know, Bulma, but... I can't help but worry over her. Every time Gohan and I try to talk to her, she'll ask to be left alone, or mention '_Master_' and completely shut herself off; not that she's been very open to us the first place. I don't know how to help her, Bulma."

The older mother sipped at her tea and placed a hand on top of Videl's, "Try leaving her alone for a day or two, maybe three or four, and then see how she reacts."

"Alright, I'll try, but... I'm so worried about her. Gohan told me what he saw when he found her in that clearing... Bulma, Gohan saw her being _raped_. He hasn't been able to sleep at night for the past three nights; not without seeing it in his dreams."

Bulma nearly gagged at the thought of Pan being violated like that, _'That poor little girl..._' Videl fought back tears, "Bra examined her while we were cleaning her up the ship, and she was bleeding so much from... you know, and Bra said she'd had an abortion recently." Bulma's eyes widened, "She was _pregnant_?" Videl nodded solemnly, and the two of them moved to the backyard patio to continue their discussion.

"Bra did a few tests and examinations while she was knocked out. It wasn't the first time she'd been pregnant, but she'd never carried any of the babies to term." Videl took a seat at the patio table, "Is it _sick_ that I'm glad that Pan didn't carry that rapist's spawn to term?"

Bulma shook her head, "Hardly. If it were Bra, I'd definitely be glad that she didn't have to carry the child of a rapist. Besides, you're a mother. Of course you're going to be protective of your baby. Kami knows what I'd do if they'd taken Bra as well. Vegeta would've ripped the universe apart to get her back."

Videl nodded in understanding, "Chichi and I had to calm Gohan and Goten down. Those two are a force to be reckoned with."

The two women continued to talk quietly and drink their tea, never the wiser to the large set of midnight eyes watching them from the kitchen window. Pan had heard her mother's confession and frowned, confused.

_Master had said it would've been an honor to carry his heir, but that I was undeserving. Why is Mama happy that I never bore Master a child? Could she be jealous of me? Jealous that I've seen Master in the throes of ecstasy when she hasn't? Why else would she be in such a good mood while gossiping about my failure?_

Pan could not think of any other excuse for such callous behavior, and turned and left the kitchen; headed back to her room, mind swirling with a chaotic mixture of failure, fury, sadness, and longing.

**(A/N: Wow, the first official breakdown and I'm not even at 2k yet. This does not bode well for the length of part two... Dammit. Pan's reaction to this is kind of like Stockholm's Syndrome, where a captive feels sympathy towards their captor, and she doesn't know how to handle or react to what she heard Bulma and Videl talking about. Add that to her off-the-wall emotions, you get... well, this.)**

As soon as the door swung closed behind her, she let the frustrated tears pour as she lunged towards her beautiful bed with an infuriated screech. Curving her fingers into claws, she tore at the gossamer curtains until they hung in shreds from their posts. Pan ripped the sheets apart and tore open pillows, allowing feathers to fill the air. She rushed over to the vanity and turned it on its side, screaming and crying like an enraged earthbound deity. Her hair hung around her face in tangled knots, dousing her eyes and upper cheekbones in shadow. She turned to the beautiful bay window and threw a fist straight through the glass. She followed up with more punches until the frame was empty, and her hands were cut up and unrecognizable.

When everything that she could reach had been destroyed in one way or another, Pan fell to her knees at the center of the room and screamed wordlessly into the carpet, beating her bloodied fists into the back of her head. She sat up and clawed at herself with blunt nails, trying to draw more blood from her body. Copious amounts of the red liquid were already running down her arms in thin streams, but she needed more. She needed to feel _more_.

As the hysterical young woman began to reach for a shard of the mirror that once hung on the back of her closet, the door swung open, revealing her father. Ignoring him, she grabbed the shard and tried to slash it across her forearm with a mournful cry. Gohan caught her hand and dissolved the shard in a flash of ki. Pitiful whines escaped Pan as she pushed him away from her, murmuring something feverishly under her breath. The walls seemed to be closing in on her, and she grabbed her head and screamed.

Pan's POV **(A/N: Now this is a panic attack brought on by claustrophobia with a dash of nervous breakdown. At this point, I'm making up my own things, lol.)**

'_The walls. They're closing in on me... I'll be crushed,_' I curled in on myself as the violently pulsating walls slowly moved closer to me. Slow and silent, like snakes... I shivered at the thought of a cool, clammy snake sliding over my skin, flicking its tongue softly against my cheek. My head began to pound as I tried to combat the overwhelming emotions boiling over within my body. _Fear, rage, hate, sadness, loss, longing, failure, guilt, remorse..._

I could practically feel my brain writhing in my skull, unable to take the onslaught of intense, powerful feelings that kept washing over me. I couldn't focus on anything; focusing _hurt_. I grabbed my head, murmuring something I couldn't decipher. Someone was speaking to me, but I couldn't make it out. The pain was too loud... I scooted away from the noise, pulling on my hair, still chanting meaningless things under my breath. I couldn't stop it; I couldn't... Blots of black began to bloom in my faulty vision, and I screamed as the pain increased tenfold before fading into the black...

No POV

A blood vessel burst within Pan's left eye with her final scream, and her body slumped forward limply, like a ragdoll. Gohan caught her before she could hit her head on the bedframe. Videl and Bulma stood in the doorway, watching with fearful expressions. The horrified father laid his unconscious daughter on the decimated bed and brushed her hair out of her face. Videl made her way to his side, watching worriedly.

"G-Gohan, what... what happened?" Videl asked fearfully, placing a hand on Pan's smooth cheek. A thin trail of pink tears ran down her left cheek. Gohan said nothing and lifted her left eyelid to check the damage with all the expertise of a seasoned doctor. Once he finished, he stood upright and glanced at his wife.

"It's safe to say it was either an emotional upheaval or a nervous breakdown. Maybe a little of both." Gohan told her softly, and then retreated to the bathroom, "I'm going to bandage up her hands."

Videl looked after him, and then glanced down at her unconscious daughter with a mixture of fear, worry, and love. She took in the changes in her face, noting the decrease in baby fat on her cheeks; revealing her high cheekbones and round chin. Her nose was a bit narrower, and the outer edges of her eyes had lifted just the tiniest bit. Thick eyelashes curled away from her lids in almost a full barrel, and her lips were fuller, and red; rather than the shell pink they had been before she was taken.

Her body had most certainly changed. Her hips had flared out in what was recognized worldwide as a perfect childbearing cradle. Her waist cinched tightly, but not sharply, more streamline. Her torso flared out again to support the round, perky D cups she'd developed in her time away. Her hands, though covered in blood, were still as tiny as ever, and her limbs still retained slight definition from a childhood spent training to grow stronger. Her stomach gave the barest hint of a feminine six pack.

"Alright," Gohan came back in, carrying the supplies he needed to clean and bandage his daughter's hands. Videl moved aside to give him space to work. He took a careful perch on the edge of the ruined bed, and lifted Pan's tiny right hand to begin cleaning the wounds with antiseptic. As soon as he touched the swollen, cut open skin with the cotton swab, Pan's eyes shot open, and she screamed.

Startled, Gohan released Pan and she crawled backwards frantically, whimpering and whispering nonsensical things under her breath. Pan curled up against her pillows, watching the other inhabitants of her room with wide, fearful eyes. Videl raised a hand to her mouth, close to tears. What had that monster done to her baby? Gohan bit his lip, trying to figure out the best approach to get her to relax.

"Panny?" Pan looked at her father at once, and then winced as her hands touched the comforter. "Do your hands hurt?" Gohan asked slowly, inching towards her. She nodded meekly. "Don't you want them to feel better?" Another nod and Gohan's knee met the edge of the bed. Her dark eyes shot down to his knee, and her small body began to tremble again. Gohan slowed his advance, waiting for her to relax again. When she did, he gave her a patented Son Grin, and she held out her hands hesitantly.

"Good girl." Gohan praised her, taking her tiny hands in his. She tensed up again, and he looked up at her questioningly. "I don't like touching all that much anymore." Pan admitted quietly. Gohan nodded, understanding the need for him to hurry up, so she wouldn't get anymore worked up than she already had been. The small girl looked utterly drained. With skilled hands, he cleaned and bandaged her wounded hands and got off of the bed.

'_She has haphephobia._' Videl told her husband telepathically as she gave Pan a gentle smile, '_Bulma says it's a common development with sexual assault._' Gohan's fists clenching just so was the only outward sign of his frustrated rage towards the man who turned his Panny into this ghost of a girl.

'_Darling, control your expressions. You're scaring her._' Videl warned, placing a hand on his chest. Gohan realized, with remorse, that his features had formed into a mild scowl, and Pan was cowering away from him. "Panny, I'm sorry..." He said softly, and then left the room.

"You want anything to eat, darling?"

"Soup... please." Pan replied, watching her mother for any signs of envy or something similar. Other than the usual sorrow she displayed, there was nothing else to be seen, and Pan quickly realized that she'd been wrong.

The predominant part of her; the submissive slip of a girl, was easily deluded into believing that her own mother wanted to be put through the same horrors that she had suffered. The smaller part of her; the wounded warrior princess who desperately wished for things to go back to the way they were, knew that her mother wasn't jealous, but expressing her gratitude that she didn't have any physical reminders of... _that_.

That small part of Pan was fighting desperately to get out of that mind set, but it was so hard, getting rid of two years of being so set in her ways. Master this and Master that. She didn't know how long it would take for her to get rid of that inexplicable urge to reiterate the fact that her Master would come for her whenever someone tried to be civil with her and have a conversation, but she just couldn't let it go. It made Pan want to cry just thinking about it, because all she was doing was pushing people away, and that was the last thing she wanted.

*In the kitchen*

Videl skillfully cut up potatoes and the other ingredients for Pan's favorite baked potato soup, humming her old lullaby under her breath. In the back of her mind, she could sense Gohan's frustrated ki, sparring with Goten, Trunks, and Uub. Vegeta was nearby, observing the spar. She hoped that it would be enough to burn of the steam. She dumped the potatoes into a pot and placed it on the stove to boil and scraped the other ingredients into a bowl to wait. The confounded mother grabbed a spoon and began to stir the potatoes, thinking about possible ways that she could help Pan.

"Um... Mom?"

Videl's head shot up, and she took in Pan's disheveled form, standing in the kitchen doorway. "Yes, Panny?" she replied.

"The potatoes are boiling over."

The Son-Satan mother paused her stirring and turned down the heat. Pan took a seat at the kitchen table, hugging her middle tightly. She looked as if she were uncomfortable just sitting there.

_I'm darkening this room_; Pan admitted silently, _this room is so bright and cheery... I'm ruining the atmosphere_. Her thoughts traveled down another avenue, one chock full of memories of eating in this room with her family. There were smiles and laughter all around the table. _Why can't things go back to that? Oh, that's right; it's my fault._

Videl frowned as Pan's head suddenly drooped as though in sorrow or shame, and she wanted to go comfort her, but knew that she wouldn't be accepting of her touch. With a soft sigh, she returned to cutting up herbs for the soup, feeling like a failure as a mother.

**Pan's POV**

A steaming bowl of baked potato soup was set on the table in front of me, along with a cup of grape juice and a three meat and pepper jack cheese sandwich with ranch sauce. I could faintly recall loving Mama's sandwiches. They always had beef, turkey, and bacon on them, and the melted pepper jack cheese and ranch sauce was to _die_ for.

"Here you go, Pan-chan." Mama passed me a soup spoon, "enjoy."

I nodded my thanks and dipped the spoon into the creamy mixture; carefully with my freshly bandaged hands. Mama took a seat across from me with a bowl of her own, and a glass of cherry limeade. It was then that things became awkward.

I haven't seen my mother in three years, and so many times during that time, I would've given _anything_ to have her, even if only for a second. Now that I do have her, I don't know what to say to her. My time... _away_ was creating a void between us and I didn't know how to keep it from growing.

"So," she began slowly, "how are you feeling?"

"Fine," I responded emotionlessly, "and you?"

"Fine." She said softly, and I could tell from her tone that she was hurt by the lack of a bond we now had.

Before I... _left_ we had a very close bond; my parents and I, and now... now we can't even converse for five minutes without me shoving Master's imminent return in their faces and, as a result, pushing them even further away and making the void bigger. I didn't mean to do it, but that large part of me that belonged to him didn't want to get attached again, only to be ripped away from all of this happiness and peace.

_Remember Miss Avelei_, a snide voice asked from the back of my head, _you got attached and look what happened? We don't want any more blood on our hands, now do we_?

My head hung as I conceded to the voice. It was right; getting attached would only cause more pain in the end, and that was the last thing I needed in my fucked up life.

So I decided to remain detached for the sake of what was left of my sanity... _even if it hurt like hell._

**Post Date: April 20, 2013**

**I don't want the story to lose any interest, so I'll break it down into chapters of maybe 3-6k+ words. Just picture it all compiled into one entire chapter like the first one. Maybe making it into a chapter story will help me gain more inspiration.**


	3. Thunder and Rain, Heartache and Pain

**It's a bit soon to begin the next chapter, but this story has been waiting for long enough. AO is going on a small hiatus of maybe three or four weeks because this one is getting neglected. Sit back and enjoy the action. We're going to play with chronic denial in this one.**

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**Start Date: April 20, 2013**

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**Pan's POV *a week later***

"Have you ever considered the fact that he might not be coming back for you?"

I whirled around from my perch on the window sill and looked at my father in question, "What makes you think that?" He shrugged, "Oh, it's been nearly two weeks, and you're still here."

"He'll come for me. I just know it." I snapped at him, and then turned to face the window before I could see the hurt splash across his face.

This was my new tactic; hurt and lash out them and force them away from me so they wouldn't miss me too much whenever Master finally came to collect me. Hopefully I'll be able to persuade him not to kill them for taking me back in the first place. They just thought that they were doing the right thing, is all.

_He won't show mercy to them_; the voice sneered, _Avelei thought she was doing what was right, and he murdered her in cold blood. Who's to say that he won't do the same to them_?

"Shut up." I told the voice quietly.

"What?"

I looked up, barely noticing that my father had walked up behind me while I was listening to the voice in my head. _He probably thinks you've gone insane_, the voice cackled, _I wouldn't blame him_. What the hell had gotten into the voice?

On most days, the voice was quiet, usually because I was pushing everyone away to prepare myself for my imminent departure from this planet. Master would come when I least expected it, and I wanted to prepared for any possibility of his arrival, which led to me staying awake most nights, watching the skies for his ship.

My parents stayed up, too, and it made me upset. They were probably thinking that I was planning on offing myself or something else similar. I tried that once, and Master whipped me until I didn't have any skin left to turn black and blue with once he started to beat me afterwards. After that, killing myself never crossed my mind again.

"Nothing." I replied coldly, looking out of the window. _Now go away and leave me to my thoughts... and the voice_.

I heard his footsteps leaving the room and heading down the hall to my mother's room, now doubt telling her that I was talking to myself.

_But you are talking to yourself_.

_Not now, stupid voice_.

_So you're stupid AND insane?_

I felt like hitting myself in the face just to hurt the voice and make it shut up, but I'd only end up hurting myself. A faint sound of whispering caught my attention, and I put my hearing to go use, listening to the conversation that my parents were having.

"Gohan, just tell her! She'll make herself sick with all of this waiting she's doing! He's not coming back, and the sooner she knows that, the sooner she can go back to being _Pan_!" My mother hissed.

_What is she talking about? Of course Master's coming back. He has to_.

"Videl, if _Bulma_ couldn't tell you how telling Pan that that sick bastard is dead would affect her, then _why_ would I take the risk of telling her, not knowing what it could do to her mental health and stability?" Papa snapped back, and I mental cheered for him.

_Wait, what? Master's... dead?_ The voice asked numbly.

_No, no- NO! That is impossible! Master's not- he can't be- no!_

I stood- no, _fell_ from my window seat numbly, mumbling the word 'no' over and over, picking up speed until the word could no longer be deciphered.

"What was that?" My mother asked, "It came from Pan's room."

_It was me_, I replied silently. I lay on the floor in the fetal position, shaking and mumbling like crazy.

_They're lying_, the voice said at last, _they want you to let go of the idea of Master coming back so you'll get attached again! They want you to hurt when he returns! They don't care about you; they want you to suffer_!

_Yes, that's it. Lies. All of it is lies_.

I got my feet up under me and stormed to the door, flung it open, and ran into their bedroom, panting with rage. How dare they try to lie to me? Both of them looked at me, innocent shock on their lying, _deceiving_ faces.

"How _dare_ you," I screamed, "Master _isn't _dead, you _disgusting liars_! You're trying to make me forget about him, and it'll _never_ happen! When are you going to _get_ that I _belong to him_?! I'm _his_, no matter _what_, and when he does come back, I won't stop him from killing you!" With that, I left the room.

_That was harsh_, the voice told me softly.

_They shouldn't have lied to me, then_, I replied; _now they'll all be killed_.

_But they're your family_.

_Family doesn't lie to family. Why are you even trying to defend them? You're the one who told me that they were lying_.

_They didn't even know you were listening, so how would they know to lie?_

This time I was at a loss of what to shoot back with. They _hadn't_ known that I'd been listening so... I shook my head of that doubt, knowing that Master was still alive. He was too resilient to be dead. They had to be lying, but I couldn't think of a good reason for them to be lying when they thought that I wouldn't think to listen to them.

A twinge of guilt lodged itself into my heart as I closed my bedroom door behind me.

**No POV**

Gohan and Videl looked at each other, speechless. They didn't know how to process what they'd just born witness to. Pan hadn't shown that much vibrancy since before she was taken.

"She's in denial. It'll fade." Gohan said at last, breaking the silence. Videl bit her lip, "Gohan, I'm-"

Gohan shook his head, "we didn't know she was listening, Vi. It's too late now." She sighed softly, "Kami, I'm so _stupid_." Videl dragged a hand over her face and bit her lip to keep from crying. Who knew how far back Pan's progress had been set now?

"Videl, you are _not_ stupid. Don't ever let me hear you say that again." Gohan hissed, pulling Videl's hands away from her face, "You are the most beautiful, intelligent, wonderful woman I have ever met in my life, and I'm lucky to have been able to keep you. I love you, Vi, please... don't talk like this. It hurts to hear you doubt yourself like this."

She stared up at his intense gaze, almost frightened by the ferocity in his midnight eyes, but she pushed that fear away and hugged him, "I'm so sorry, Gohan." He kissed her all over her face and nuzzled her cheek, "it's alright. I love you so much, Vi." She kissed his chin, "I love you, too, Gohan." The two of them kissed and cuddled for a little while longer, and then lapsed into slumber.

In the other room, a haunted, broken young woman sat up, staring out of her window at the night sky; looking for a ship that would never come. Exhaustion lapped eagerly at her consciousness, but not once did her gaze falter.

*the next morning*

Videl and Gohan ate breakfast together in slightly comfortable silence. They'd decided; against their better wishes, to go along with Bulma's advice of allowing Pan to be alone and work through her feelings on her own. They understood that they couldn't understand what she'd been through, but they still wanted to help in any way possible.

_If she ignores you, then ignore her_, Bulma had told them, _sooner or later, she'll get frustrated or annoyed and start to open up a bit more. She'll be angry at first, but the anger will soon pass_.

Videl had to force herself to act nonchalant and natural as Pan entered the kitchen with black bags under her bloodshot eyes. Clearly the girl hadn't slept a lick the other night, and was paying in full for it.

_Those liars,_ Pan thought, watching her parents out of the corner of her eye, _how can they be so ignorant of how they've broken my trust_?

The disgust rolled off of Pan in waves, and only grew as they shared a small kiss. She grabbed a bowl, filled it with eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheese, and retreated to her room; unable to stand being in the room with them any longer.

*a few weeks later*

By the time that month passed, Gohan had decided that enough was enough. He was going to tell Pan what happened that day, regardless of the consequences. He couldn't bear the thought of his little girl hating him any longer.

**Pan's POV**

**(A/N: And here's where Gohan goes entirely OOC and decides he's taken enough of Pan's Stockholm Syndrome bullshit. I mean, I **_**wrote**_** her to be this stubborn, broken, victimized shell, and **_**I'm **_**getting frustrated with her. So it's partly Gohan's infamous temper, and my irritation with the Pan I've created. Either way, this was going to happen, because either Videl or Gohan had to snap **_**sometime**_**. And besides, Pan needs to be pushed, not coddled, and Gohan has finally remembered that aspect of her nature. Actually, I did the remembering, but yeah.)**

My head snapped up as my door flew open, revealing my father. "What?" I sneered, "come to spread more of your lie-"

"Pan, just shut the hell up and _listen_ for once." He snapped, glaring at me. I paused immediately, frightened by the look in his eyes. _Did he come in here to hurt me?_

He walked up to me and leaned down so that we were at eye level, "It's _laughable_ that you think your precious _Master_ can kill the likes of me, your Grandfather and Vegeta. If we could kill _four_ of his kind, then why the hell would we perish at the hands of _one_? Explain _that_, Panny."

I wanted to roll my eyes; he didn't understand Master's strength; he never would until Master came to get me.

He continued on, staring deeply into my eyes, "You want to know how I know he's not coming back for you, Panny? How I'm just so _sure_ of the fact that he won't be back here? Because he's dead, Pan, he's _dead_ and he's _never_ coming back for you. How do I know he's dead? Because _I _killed him, Pan; _me_." my breathing stopped as I stared into his eyes, and he continued to speak, pinning me in place with his intense gaze.

"_I_ was the one that fired a Makankosappo _straight_ through his _brain_. _I _watched the light fade from his eyes. _I _rid the universe of his disgusting, sick, filthy stain of an existence. You know _why_ I did what I did, Pan? Because of what he did to _my daughter_. You honestly think I would've taken you from him and left him _alive_ to come back and torment you again? Like _hell_ would I let that sick fuck live another _second_ after I saw what he was doing to you in that clearing-" He cut off with a choked mixture of a sob and a snarl.

"_Pan_, I have not slept an entire _hour_ since I found you that day," he nearly wailed, and my heart began to ache for him, "watching him ra- _violate_ you... it's burned into my memory for the rest of my life. That's something I never wanted to see happen to you, Panny."

Tears began to pour down my cheeks, "P-Papa, I- I'm so-so sorry." I started to reach out for him, but my mind rebelled, deeming it unsafe. He seemed to understand my fear and gently grasped my hand and kissed the top of it.

**(A/N: She's got to get a lot worse before she can **_**really**_** get to that point where she can start healing, and I have **_**a lot**_** planned for that. So what, I killed her complex early, there's still her touching phobia and her fear of unfamiliar men, which will come into play later. There will also be a phobia of lightning, and you can understand why she'll have that.)**

My mother stood in the doorway, tears running down her cheeks. She noticed me watching and wiped them away, "are you alright, hon?"

"I'll be fine..." I replied, wiping my own face, "I just need some time to..." I didn't know how to finished that sentence, so I let it trail off, biting my lip. I pulled my knees into my chest and laid my cheek on top of them.

"We'll leave you alone, baby." My mother placed a gentle hand on my father's back and gestured for him to follow her out of the room. He gave me one last agonized glance and followed her from the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

_Hey... are you still there?_ I asked, feeling dumb for talking to myself.

There was no reply, and I quickly realized that the voice was gone. My mind was my own; even though it had been all along, but the voice of the scarred pleasure slave who wanted the normalcy of being Master- _His_ plaything was gone. A good part of me still wanted to go back, but I chalked it up to being so set in Master- _His _routine. Besides... what was there to go back to?

I heaved a sigh of relief... or suffering; I didn't know how I felt about the news of Master- _His_ death, and I probably wouldn't know until my mind decided which persona they wanted to be. The downtrodden, meek, and push-over pleasure slave or the strong willed warrior princess who knew exactly what she wanted.

If I chose the latter... then I had a hell of a long way to go before I could be _her_ again without all this confusion, doubt, and fear clouding my head... and I was scared to fail. I didn't want to fall back into the darkness again. Now that I've tasted this freedom, I never wanted to be bound again.

And so, I unfolded myself and headed to the window. The peach tree just outside had a branch that was close enough for me to step out onto without using any ki. _Ki._ My hand fell to the collar that was still around my throat, disguised as a choker. No one had bothered to remove it, and, until they figured out a way do so; I'd be stuck walking and riding everywhere.

My foot met the sun-warmed rough bark of the branch, and the rest was muscle memory. It was like going back in time to a simpler life, where I'd sneak out of the window and go hang out with Marron and Bra at night. Almost effortlessly, I moved sinuously from branch to branch until my feet fell upon the green grass of the front yard.

It was high noon; I judged by the sun's position in the sky, and began to make my way to the forest. I only wore a thin cami, some pajama pants, and a robe. I didn't think to grab any shoes, but I no longer cared at this point. The feeling of my muscles bunching and stretching was too addictive for me to turn back now. I wanted to run; to sprint through the forests of my childhood.

My stride began to lengthen and pick up speed, and the thrill took over. Soon, I was flying across the grass and into the dappled shadows of the forests. There was a stream not too far from the house where I did homework after school, and I immediately knew that it was where I wanted to go. I just had to remember where it-.

I jerked to a halt as a tugging, tight pain ripped through my left thigh, and my stride faltered. My right foot somehow hooked under a tree root that I hadn't seen, and I was falling forwards, my foot stuck in one place. I hit the ground on my left side, and a sickening snap emanated from my right ankle. I knew, without a doubt that it was broken, and that the pain in my left thigh was a pulled muscle. I should've known it wasn't the best idea to go running when I hadn't been active in the past two and a half years.

My scream of pain was delayed, but when it came, it echoed and bounced through the trees, scaring birds from the perches in the trees, and sending forest animals running to hide in fear of a threat.

My right foot was still stuck under that kami-forsaken root, and it hurt too much to try and get it out. I could feel the pulse and throb as my broken ankle began to swell. I was slightly surprised that I couldn't sense Papa coming for me, and then I remembered the stupid collar.

_Damn it_, I cursed myself, _why'd you go running off, knowing you can't protect yourself?_

A glimpse of the sky overhead told me that an unexpected thunderstorm was rolling in, and soon I'd be cold and drenched to the bone. A distant rumble caught my ears and I whimpered in fear. I hated thunder because of what came after...

I felt the pulsing of electricity in the air, and I was thrown back in time, to the memory of steel shackles around my ankles and wrists, and Mas-_His_ perverted moans as he pleasured himself to the sounds of my pain as white-hot electricity ripped through my frame.

_Dende, help me please..._

*at the Son Abode* No POV

Gohan was lying in bed, eyes bloodshot and red with tears and exhaustion. He couldn't close his eyes for a second without seeing that... that _monster_ wrapped around his daughter, violating her like she was some common whore. A pulse of rage went through his mind, and he muffled a growl of irritation.

He'd give anything just to go back in time and stop those _things_ from taking Pan away from him and Videl. That year and a half without her had been pure hell, and he imagined that things had been so much worse for his princess.

Videl came in, and his eyebrows shot up at the abject fear in her face. Thunder rumbled outside as the rain began to fall, increasing in intensity with each passing minute. A few tears escaped her eyes and trickled down her cheeks, dripping from her chin. Their eyes met, and Gohan stood up at once.

"Vi, what's wrong?"

She broke apart before him, falling to pieces. Her small frame fell into his arms and she wailed into his chest, "she- Pan- she..." her breathing was choppy from sobs, and she could barely breathe long enough to form words.

"Videl, breathe. Take a deep breath and tell me." Gohan's voice was soft and methodic; this was the tone that he reserved for patients in the hospital.

Videl took a deep, shuddering breath and whispered, "Pan's gone."

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**Finish Date: May 25, 2013**

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**Aha! I'm going to be evil and leave a wonderful little cliffy here, since I rarely do those. May you all be in agony as you wait for me to post the next chapter. I wasn't planning to play on her lightning phobia just yet, but it was too tempting. Sorry for the wait, blah blah blah, summer beak is coming up, and updates will pick up speed. I make no promises about what will happen in the fall when I go to college. I'm hoping to get a laptop so I can write on my own time. Right now, I'm sharing with my mother so... yeah! Enjoy the cliffy! –SukiChan12^-^**

**P.S. I _thought_ I was going to use denial, but I guess not. Hmph, well that sucks. That was almost a month ago when I started, and clearly, I pushed things here. Makes everything move much faster.**


	4. After the Storm

**I'm terrible, I know, but I had to finish my last bit of high school as strongly as possible before I could return to writing. Now that I'm out for the summer, I can start writing everyday again! It's just going to take me a while to get the fact that I don't have to make time in my schedule to write anymore. Yay for me! Let's check on Pan, shall we?**

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**Pan's POV**

I shivered and whimpered, reaching down awkwardly to press a hand against the swell that was my ankle, hissing as my hand came into contact with the taut skin. The cold chill that came with the rain made everything that much more sensitive and painful. I groaned and tried to wriggle around and get my ankle free of the root, ignoring the pain in my left thigh, and the even more painful spikes of agony from my ankle. I tried to push my upper body off of the ground with my arms to gain some leverage and help the process along, but my arms shook too badly, and I found myself kissing soil again.

**(A/N: In case anyone was wondering. Pan's ankle is broken over the top the tree branch. Her foot is still stuck under the root, but her ankle is being stretched across the root because of the way she fell. Sounds extremely painful, huh?)**

Thunder rumbled in the distance like an angry lion, and I pushed my fear back. If I could just focus on getting out of the rain, then I could escape the lightning... the pain... oh kami, the pain. With a forceful wrench upwards with my right leg, my foot came free, and I screamed in pain as my foot seemed to just dangle from the end of my leg. I wondered how badly it was broken as I tried to work my way up onto my knees.

I noticed an alcove in the trunk of a tree, shrouded over by the leaves and branches of a bush, and realized I knew this area from my childhood. Uncle Goten and Trunks had been the ones to carve the alcove into the tree so Bra and I would have a little hideaway to ourselves. I fell forward and dragged myself to the alcove with my elbows, hissing and cringing as each slide disturbed my ankle and made my leg scream in agony.

The wetness gave way to mild, damp warmth, and I curled into the walls of the tiny alcove, ignoring the pain as the cold began to set in. I shivered violently and pushed myself as far as I could against the wall, biting my lip to curb the soreness in my body. Other than my ankle and thigh, I could feel a massive bruise forming on my left hip and forearm, and a small cut at my left temple was bleeding a little. I pressed a hand to the cut and closed my eyes, lapsing into a dreamless sleep...

**No POV**

Gohan landed on Dende's Lookout, followed by his wife, brother, father, Bra, Trunks, and Vegeta. Dende looked up, clearly expecting their arrival. Bra touched Videl's hand, "she'll be fine, Videl." Videl didn't look convinced and her frowned seemed to deepen as the green Kami closed the distance.

"Dende, have you seen her?" Gohan asked at once, without preamble. Dende nodded solemnly, "she fell asleep after going to explore her childhood stomping grounds... and got a little banged up in the process. I'm sure Pan never meant to cause any alarm."

"How much is '_a little_'?" Videl asked coolly, stepping beside her husband. Dende scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "A broken ankle, torn hamstring, bruised hip and shoulder, and a cut on her brow." Videl's jaw dropped, "she did _all_ of that... Running through the forest. Why can't we sense her?"

"Perhaps she didn't want you to. Pan is well acquainted with the fact that every single one of you worries for her well-being; you have every right to be, after what she's been through, and she didn't want to stir up anymore worries." Dende said smoothly, even though he wasn't sure why Pan couldn't be sensed either.

"Where is she?" Goten asked softly. "I think you should already have a good idea; Goten, Bra, Trunks." Dende said, eyeing each of them in turn, "think hard." Bra's eyes lit up with recognition at the same time as her brother's and Goten's, "come on, guys, let's go!" Trunks grunted as she swung herself onto his back and launched into flight with Goten and the others just behind.

_Why did I think of that before? Gosh, I'm an idiot_, Bra thought to herself as they came beneath the cloudbank and the rain, once again, began to soak them to the bone. She pressed her face into Trunks' shoulder to keep the cold, sharp rain drops from pelting her in the face and blurring her vision. Sure, she could've flown on her own, but she wasn't quite as fast as the guys... due to her lack of training. If Pan hadn't disappeared for the past year or so, then she'd definitely get on her about slacking.

"Hey, Bra, we're here." Trunks said, patting his sister's hand as the came in for a landing near their old hangout. Goten had gone ahead of them to check out the little cutout in the tree, "she's in here. Fast asleep, too. I wonder how she can sleep like this, with all these injuries." With gentle hands, he carefully picked up his niece and cradled her in his arms like a porcelain doll.

"Is she alright?" Gohan asked, coming to his brother's side. "She's dead sleep, if that's what you mean." Goten replied ruefully. Pan moaned and wormed closed to his warmth, and then her eyes shot open and a soft whimper left her. "Panny?" Both men looked down at her worriedly.

"My ankle really hurts." She murmured, and gave a small cry and flinched when a bolt of lightning hit nearby. _She's scared of the storm_, both brothers came to the same conclusion, and their eyes met, _I wouldn't be too surprised_. They could easily recall how they'd found her on that wretched planet, and her screams as volts of pure electricity ripped through her small frame.

"Panny, you wanna go home?" Goten crooned, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. She nodded meekly and looked at her father, "I'm sorry for running off. I really missed it out here, and I really didn't want to get hurt this badly." Gohan ran hand through her wet curls and kissed her forehead, "It's alright, Panny, just tell someone before you leave, next time."

Pan started to say something about the collar, but wasn't entirely sure she wanted it off just yet. The last time she had access to her ki, it wasn't enough to protect herself, and she began to wonder... what was the point of having access to it if it wasn't enough to keep her out of harm's way? Her mouth closed around the confession, and she pushed it to the back of her mind.

**(A/N: You'd doubt your abilities too if you were fighting against someone at your absolute best and they still managed to not only defeat you but kidnap you and destroy your sense of pride, dignity, and self-respect. Pan doesn't feel like she holds much value as a warrior; no shit, so she decided it would be best to leave the protection detail to the men.)**

Goten made sure to hold her steady and keep from jostling her as they made their way home on foot. Knowing her fear of lightning, he knew better than to start flying in the middle of a thunderstorm. His niece was liable to freak out and possibly hurt herself. Seeing her so vulnerable; without that aura of self-confidence that made her seem ten feet tall, she just seemed so _tiny_. Pan buried her face in the crook of his neck, and went limp; her warm breath brushing against the side of his jaw.

"She's sleeping again." He told Videl quietly as the house came into view. Gohan unlocked the door and let everyone in. "I'll make some coffee and cocoa." Bra said softly, heading into the kitchen. "Thanks, Bra. Trunks," Gohan gestured to the lavender haired Prince, "could you get some towels out of the cupboard in the downstairs bathroom? Just hand them out to everyone."

Trunks nodded and headed into the bathroom. Gohan headed upstairs behind his wife and brother, biting his lip with worry. "Ask your mother to come over here so we can get her in some dry clothing." Videl told him softly. The worried father nodded once, gave her a quick kiss, and headed back out into the rain, headed for his parents' home.

**Pan's POV**

I bit my lip and cringed, trying to ignore the feeling of dread as my mother gently worked my pajama pants off of my body. _This is Mama, _I reminded myself; _Mama wouldn't hurt anyone... well, unless they hurt me first, that is_. She gave me a soft smile, "you want your favorite soup after we get you in some dry clothes?" I nodded and hissed in pain as my ankle shifted a tiny bit. Granny Chichi worked my shirt over my head and wrapped a towel around my torso to preserve my dignity.

"Alright, your dad's going to put some plaster on your ankle, and then... I don't know what we'll do about the hamstring." I frowned at my mother, "Hamstring?" She chuckled humorlessly, "you tore your hamstring in your left leg. Now, come on. You need a sponge bath so we can get this mud and junk off of you." I groaned as Mama wrapped me in a fresh, dry robe and helped me get to my feet. Of course, she and Granny Chichi were supporting all of my weight as we made our way to the bathroom, where Aunt Bulma had run a tub of warm water for me.

"Alright, how about we grab her right thigh and left calf and put her in?" Bulma suggested, turning the water off with a final temperature check. Mama nodded, "that would be best. As little pain as possible." I sighed as Bulma gently removed my robe, and, with their combined strength, I was placed in the vat of bubbles.

My involuntary shivers died away as the heat leached into my body, chasing the cold away. I sighed in relief and relaxed against the side of the tub meant for reclining. Gramma put a folded up towel under my neck and kissed my forehead, "alright, let's scrub her down."

*later*

I bit back a moan of pain as Papa pulled the brace tight around my left thigh. My ankle was already incased in quick-dry plaster, and would soon have an orange ACE bandage around it for people to sign. Papa attached the patches of Velcro to one another, and gently rolled my sweat pant leg back down, "You're basically a cripple, Pan-chan."

A small smile formed on my lips at his humor and I gave a small laugh before picking my mug of cocoa back up. Uncle Goten sat next to me and wrapped his arm around me, trying to provide some warmth. I still felt a bit of a chill, even with the bubble bath and cocoa, and his presence felt nice, not only was he warmth, but safety and innocence. Innocent was something I no longer was; nor will I ever be again, and to be in the presence of someone who basically _bled_ innocence was a blessing.

I laid my head on his chest and yawned softly, exhausted from my ordeal. It had been nearly seven hours; from the time I left for my escapade to them finding me, and I was utterly drained. Someone draped a blanket over me and kissed my forehead as I lapsed into a peaceful slumber, free of any nightmares from my time with... with _Him_.

**No POV**

Goten shifted slightly, trying not to wake up his niece while bringing some feeling back in his arm. Videl watched with a smile. This was the most Pan had allowed _anyone_ to touch her, and she was happy for the positive change. Pan sighed softly and snuggled further into his side, and her mother noticed a glint of silver at her throat. _What on earth...?_

Videl made her way over to Pan's side and gently moved her hair away from her neck, frowning as she examined the strange little choker. It wasn't anything she'd ever buy for Pan, or anything her father or grandmother would buy, either. There was strange lettering on it, nothing that she'd ever seen in her life.

"Vegeta?" she asked, looking at the saiyan Prince imploringly, "Do you think you can read this lettering?" Vegeta grunted and set down his coffee mug before coming to her side and examining the bracelet, "it's a slave collar. The lettering on it is the names of her owners in the language of their home planet. It also allows her to speak in virtually any language in the known universe. The damn things are nearly impossible to remove."

"You think that's why we couldn't sense her?" Both of them looked up as Gohan and Goku entered the room. Bulma, Bra, and Chichi, who'd been sitting on the floor, also tuned into the conversation. Vegeta rolled his eyes and continued his explanation, "this specific collar was designed for the saiyan woman. I remember Frieza had a few when I was just a boy. They've never been used for three straight years, so it's safe to say the girl's about as weak as a newborn brat, and that's if we get the collar off. The collar's been on her so long, that it's drained her ki to keep her as weak as possible."

"So if we take it off... it could threaten her health?" Trunks asked from the kitchen doorway. "She'll be very weak, and she'll have to train extensively to get her previous ki level back, but it won't be life-threatening."

"We cut it off, and she'll be weak as a newborn. We leave it on, and she'll be able to support herself without help, but she won't be able to train; not without being able to gain anything from it... I don't know about this." Videl said softly, looking at her husband and father in-law.

"Our best bet is to cut it off and help her through the aftermath. She deserves the choice to keep training or give it up entirely. I don't know about you." Goten said softly, "but I don't think I'd be able to just go back to saving the world after going through something of that magnitude."

"Pan was fighting at her very best, but it wasn't enough and we weren't there to back her up. I'd definitely be doubting my ability to protect myself and others, and I'd be scared that you guys wouldn't be there if I got overwhelmed. It's a plausible conclusion." The younger son of Goku looked at each person in the room as he said this, imploring them to see the logic in the explanation.

"The brat is correct." Vegeta said gruffly, "the experience is one that will have a lasting effect on her path as a warrior... or lack thereof if she chooses to abandon it. In my opinion, her blood is too wild and full of fire for her to just quit, but the girl has been known to surprise me."

Everyone went silent as stone when Pan suddenly sighed contently, snuggling even deeper into her Uncle's side. Chichi's smile was a mile wide, and Videl stifled a giggle at her brother in-law's suspense. Goten leaned over and kissed the top of her head tenderly, "should I go put her in her bed?"

"Definitely. Be careful with her, Goten." Gohan warned, giving his baby brother a look. "I will, Gohan, calm down. She doesn't need to be hurt any more than she already has." It was easy to tell that he wasn't just talking about today's events. Everyone nodded once, and Videl stood up, "I'll get her door for you, 'Ten."

"Thanks, sis." Goten smiled as he lifted Pan into his arms. The little limpet easily attached herself to him, laying her head in the crook of his neck with a soft moan. As Goten made his way around the couch, a loud, piercing crack rent the air as a bolt of lightning came down outside, not too far from the house. Pan's reaction to it was instantaneous.

She woke up with a scream and tried to escape her uncle's arms, forgetting her injuries. Gohan phased across the room to stop her from disturbing her ankle. Her left leg bent at a slightly odd angle, and her scream died down to a sharp whimper as her torn hamstring was pulled slightly. She grasped her thigh and stumbled into her father's arms, tears streaming down her face. Her mind, however, was miles away...

_*flashback*_

'_am I dead yet...?' Pan wondered blankly. Her body burned and stung endlessly, like numerous swarms of killer bees had been let loose on her entire body, from the soles of her feet, to the backs of her eyeballs, and so on. Everything hurt, and the rain wasn't making anything easy for her. She heard Master's plaintive moan of irritation as the next bolt of lightning didn't come as soon as he hoped, and braced herself for a whipping._

_A flash of white filled her vision, and then all she knew was burning, flaying, searing, boiling pain. The sounds of her screams played a sensual; for Master, soundtrack for the man behind her, desperately working himself into an orgasm. She swore she could feel the water on her skin boiling and evaporating; at the mercy of the electricity that warped through her frame like a wraith._

'_Please...' she begged the next bolt of lightning, 'Please be the end... please be the end of me...' this was her routine. If she came out of the electric assault on her body, then she would pray to die at the hand of the next one. Anything to escape this endless cycle... anything..._

Pan collapsed against her father and buried her face in his neck, whispering her old prayer like a mantra. She struggled to separate her memories from her reality, and she couldn't stop the words from pouring out of her mouth. She slumped to her knees, still whispering, her voice almost entirely choked off by her grief and sobs.

"Pan? Panny, come on, you're here with us. You're not going anywhere, especially not out in that storm." Gohan said soothingly, running a hand through her hair. There was another crash of thunder, and the lights flickered dangerously before going out entirely. Pan burrowed into his chest and tried to fight off her memories and fears.

_I'm safe_, she tried to remind herself, _I'm safe and sound... nothing can hurt me..._ Gohan gently picked her up and headed up the stairs to her room. She was lax in his arms, calmed by his protective presence. Videl pulled the covers back, and Gohan laid her in the bed. She curled up into a ball and looked up at her parents, "do you mind staying? You don't have to, but..." she trailed off, unsure of herself.

"Nonsense. We'll stay." Videl smiled softly and lay on one side of Pan, with her arm around her. Pan snuggled into her mother's chest and lapsed into slumber, though she was still dreadfully aware of the lightning and thunder outside.

Gohan held her hand in his, noting how small they were compared to his. Before she was taken, her tough, no nonsense aura had made her seem ten feet tall, but now... she truly seemed tiny and fragile. He constantly worried for her, something he wasn't used to; seeing as she'd been able to take care of herself quite easily. Pan wasn't afraid of simple thunderstorms and males she didn't know, but that was then. That Pan hadn't experienced and seen the things that this Pan had.

"It's hard to put two and two together and make one, isn't?" Videl asked, fully aware of her husband's thoughts. He nodded silently, "she's changed a lot." A vast understatement on his part. The subdued young woman sleeping in the bed beside him, and the exuberant teenager he'd seen just a year and half prior were two polar opposites.

"It takes time, Gohan, all things do."

_You couldn't be any more right, Vi_, Gohan replied silently, _never more right_...

* * *

**Before you all start complaining about why she didn't get a senzu bean or go see Dende... she's scared of lightning, and they'd have to fly through a few storm clouds to get back to the Look Out, and perhaps Gohan and Goku have run out of beans. Meh. I just wanted a chapter with them taking care of her. I don't know what the next chapter will feature; I haven't decided yet, so I can't give an exact date or expectancy time on the next update. Enjoy the read. SukiChan12^-^**


	5. Family Matters

**I've been mulling it over in my head, and now I'm going to try and put this down on Word. My summer's been crazy so far, how about yours? I've realized that this story is a bit difficult, seeing as I can't relate to this Pan in any way, but I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible. I wish I had some kind of basis to go off of, but I don't. Hmph. I don't know where this chapter will go, so sit back and enjoy the ride.**

* * *

**Pan's POV**

It's been a few days since the storm, and they've been wrought with even more thunder and rain, leaving me in a constant state of paranoia and panic. I was only mitigated when I was around a familiar face, like my parents or uncle Goten. Especially Uncle Goten.

Goten knew how to make it seem like it was sunshine and rainbows outside, and made the time fly by much faster, considering I was in bed injured. I was on the mend; after three days, both my hamstring and my ankle were looking pretty good, and I could manage a slightly painful hobble for short distances. Anything longer than the distance from the couch to the kitchen was too painful, not that anyone would allow me to move any farther.

Goten returned from the kitchen with a steaming mug of cocoa and placed it in my hands. I took it graciously and sipped at it cautiously. The rich decadence of real chocolate danced on my taste buds, and I whimpered softly. It was so good. Mama always made the best cocoa; second only to Grandma's and third to Papa's.

**(A/N: I had to add that because the idea of Gohan making really good hot cocoa is too sweet. I might write a one-shot about him and little Pan having cocoa together during a thunderstorm. Pan's current issue is that; while she's okay with her family touching her, she can't find the will to return the favor because of an ingrained fear of being punished for it, as will be explained.)**

Papa was sitting at the foot of the sofa; next to my legs, reading a book. My fingers itched to run through his hair but I didn't think I could handle instigating physical contact just yet. My nerves were bad enough as it was, and anything was prone to starting up the flashes and setting off a panic attack.

I knew it hurt my family when I went out of my way to not touch them, but the very thought frightened me. During my time away, I was never to instigate a physical encounter in anyway. Doing so only got me punished; whether it was brushing against _him_ with my fingers while dressing _him_ or trying to soothe _him_ after a hard day of work.

My punishment was the same every time; having the offending appendage broken in the most painful, torturous, and violent way possible. _Mas- he_ didn't like being touched; _he_ always preferred to do the touching. My purpose was to lie still and allow my body to be used for _his_ relief by any means necessary. An endless cycle; being beaten and violated, healed, and then beaten and violated all over again. The scar of the flower in my side burned; not physically, but mentally, reminding me of my status.

_This is Earth, not Nikos... you're not considered the humanoid equivalent of livestock here. You're a citizen, Pan, not a... not a... a pleasure slave. You have meaning here. The brand on your skin holds no value here._

It was becoming a bit easier to believe myself as time passed, but it was easier still to slip back into that dreadful, drone-like mindset. It was more or less involuntary, the switch between human being and pleasure receptacle.

"Hey, half-pint, what're you thinking about so hard?"

Uncle Goten's voice caught my attention, and I looked up at him, "nothing." He looked down, "your cocoa's cold." I looked down as well, noting the lack of warmth radiating against my hands, and frowned sadly, "Oh..."

_Why are you such an idiot? You can't even drink hot chocolate correctly!_

"You want me to heat it up again so you can drink it?" My uncle offered selflessly, and I handed him the cup. His fingers brushed against mine, and I felt a bolt of fear shoot through me. _Oh kami, what have I done_? Quick as lightning, I removed my hands from the mug and balled them up in my lap, looking down submissively, "I'm sorry."

"What for? All you did was brush my fingers, and barely even that." Goten said softly, and I felt the sofa shift with his movement. I flinched back into the sofa, "I shouldn't have. I'm so sorry. Touching is against the rules-"

"Panny, there _aren't_ any rules here." My uncle cut in softly, "this is _Earth_, not that dreadful planet we found you on. You don't need to be afraid of us; we're your family and we love you. Even if we were... like that, you don't need any more pain and suffering than you've already dealt with."

Shame washed through me, and tears formed in my eyes, flooding my lower lids. Papa turned around so he was on his knees and grasped my hands, gently relaxing the firm fists they'd curled into and kissing my knuckles gently. A tear plopped on my forearm, and a soft sob escaped me. I felt so embarrassed and wretched; how could I compare someone as kind and pure as my uncle or father to a _monster_?

Uncle Goten gently raised my chin and kissed my cheek, "don't cry, half-pint, I know you still need some time to get back into gear, but I don't want you thinking like this ever again. We're not your owners, Panny. We'd never hurt you intentionally."

I nodded meekly, but still felt very hesitant about touching them in any way. Sensing my fear, Papa gently grasped my wrist and placed my hand against his cheek. My body stiffened, and my eyes clenched shut, waiting for the horrible pain of my hand being crushed and mangled. A frantic apology began to claw and tear its way up my throat, but abruptly paused on my tongue, coming out as a strange hiss of air.

There was no pain of any kind, and my eyes popped open, staring at Papa incredulously. His eyes were focused on mine, full of love and tender care. There was an itch in my palm, yearning to gently stroke his cheek like I used to when he put me to bed as a child. As if sensing my need, Papa released his fragile hold on my wrist, allowing me to progress at my own pace.

A sharp gasp from the kitchen spooked me, and I quickly jerked my hand back, placing both of them in my lap. My head fell to stare at the fabric of my robe as I awaited punishment once more. Papa moved away from me, and I faintly heard him say, "_You scared her, Vi_."

My gaze drifted up some, just enough to make out my mother's figure in the kitchen doorway. She apologized fervently, "I'm so sorry, Gohan, but I was just a little surprised. She's not very big on touching us, you know." Papa leaned in and kissed her cheek, "I know, hon, but you've got to be more careful with her. You know she's skittish."

Goten wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side as a rumble of thunder came from outside. I tensed up and curled into his side, ignoring the instincts that screamed at me not to touch. The need for safety and security was much more important than the desire to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering.

I felt my mother's lips on my forehead as she whispered, "You're safe, Pan-chan. don't ever doubt that," and left the room to return to her cooking. Papa resumed his position in front of me, and I looked at him warily as that incessant itch kicked up in the palms of my hands. He watched me carefully and raised a brow at me as if to ask if I wanted to try again.

I nodded once, and he gently grasped my wrists in a loose hold before slowly moving my hands up to his face. He didn't press my palms against his face as he had before, but simply let my hands hover before his cheeks.

My teeth began to work away at my lower lip, and my fingers began to shake. Slowly but surely, I began to push forward, reaching for his skin until I felt the smooth, soft surface under my finger tips and then stopped. I didn't think I could handle putting my hands completely on his face without having a freak out of some sort. Even then, barely touching him, my heart was thundering away in my chest.

"_Don't ever touch me, you worthless whore!_"

The memory of _his_ voice came from literally nowhere, and I could do nothing but flinch away and cower from it as the dredge of past reveries made my brain pound and writhe in my skull.

Uncle Goten, Papa, and Mama were all trying to calm me, but I couldn't hear their voices. They were being drowned out by a shrill wailing noise that made my ears feel like they were bleeding. I felt a warm trickle on my skin just below my ears and realized they just might have begun to bleed. The noise was slowly registering in my memory. It was my scream of terror.

_Mas_- _his_ voice continued to bounce around behind my eardrums, filled with hatred and vitriolic disgust as he insulted, degraded, and verbally attacked me, and all I could do was scream frantic pleas for forgiveness and writhe away from seemingly everywhere. _His_ voice was coming from everywhere, and I couldn't escape it.

My heart felt like it was trapped in my windpipe, constricting my breathing with its fervent beating and I reached up to grasp at my throat as black spots popped and burst in my line of sight. There were hands on me that I couldn't process; all I felt were _his_ hands on my body, and I tried to scramble away, but I was held firm.

My chest and throat throbbed mercilessly as I fought to breathe. I couldn't get enough air and my heart felt like it was on the verge of burning out like a dying star. Blessed relief came in the form of an encroaching darkness at the edges of my sight, blotting out everything in its path as it swarmed towards my line of focus. My father's face, filled with frantic worry was the last thing the darkness claimed, and I was allowed to drift in the dark peaceful silence.

**No POV**

Pan's limp, worn out body slumped against Goten's side, and he gently cradled her in his lap. Videl looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Gohan looked half-crazed with fear and worry. He'd never seen his daughter so frightened and vulnerable. He fought his raging emotions as Goten gently laid the small young woman on the couch and put a pillow under her head and a blanket over her body.

The poor thing looked absolutely worn out and stressed to the max, even in her sleep. It killed her family to see her so unsure and uncomfortable. Videl gently brushed a hair back into the ponytail at the back of Pan's head and kissed her forehead, fighting her tears with a vengeance. She had to be strong for her little girl.

Pan mumbled something in her sleep, and Videl jumped when twin menacing growl erupted from both her husband and brother in-law's chests. The two of them suddenly looked absolutely livid, and Videl came around the sofa, "boys, what is it?"

"She's regressing back to her previous state. She keeps tell him she's sorry and that it won't happen again, and she's calling him '_Master_' again." Gohan grumbled angrily, "I can't believe this. She was making such good process. How much power can he possibly hold over her?"

"I don't know, bro, but we've got to break her cycle. At this rate, it'll be the same thing over and over. Progression and regression. We need to take out the pins in her wings that this idiotic fuck placed on her." Goten mumbled back, "and I don't like the idea of him holding power over her in death either. It isn't right."

"_She's mine, you foolish bastard, and she always be mine, no matter what happens to me. You'll see_."

Gohan winced as the memory of the dreadful man's final words rang through his skull. _He's right_, the father realized, _she's still his... for now, but she won't be for much longer. We just have to push her_. The tips of his fingers brushed down the side of her face, and he grinned as she leaned into his touch, and her apologetic mumbles began to taper off into real slumber.

There was a knock at the front door, and Goten went to answer it, leaving the parents with their child. To his surprise, his parents stood at the door, looking anxious. Goku held a brown sack of senzu beans, and Goten moved aside to let them in out of the rain. Chichi kissed her youngest on the cheek and went into the guest bathroom to dry off before going to check on her precious granddaughter. Her husband followed behind her, also worried for Pan's well-being.

Once Chichi was as dry as she could manage, she headed into the living room where the rest of her family were with Pan. Videl and Gohan smiled in greeting, though they were wrought with sour emotions like fear and worry.

"How is she?" The Son matriarch asked, coming around the sofa to see her grandbaby. Pan was resting peacefully on the couch, lulled by the comforting sensation of her mother stroking her hair. Occasionally, she would emit a very faint purr and gently nuzzle her mother's hand.

"She had a panic attack... if you can call it that," Videl told her mother in-law softly, "I don't know what that was, but it was a bit on the scary side."

"What happened? Do you know what triggered it?" Chichi asked, alarmed. Gohan frowned, "I was easing her into touching again when she went into one of her more intense flash backs and panicked. She started pleading with- with _him_ to forgive her and not to punish her any more, and then the flailing started. After that, she fainted."

"_He _has; rather _had_, a rule, mom," Goten jumped in, "Pan isn't allowed to touch him in any way. Only _he_ can instigate any physical contact, or at least that's what I think the root of the problem is. She's fine with us touching her, but only because she thinks she doesn't have a choice in the matter, but if we ask her to do the touching, she just shuts herself off."

"I can't believe she doesn't think that she has the right to say no." Chichi murmured sadly, and then furrowed her brow, "you should try letting her alone for a bit. She's injured both of her legs, so she'll need assistance to do things. If you leave her alone, she'll be forced to ask for help. That way, it's her call."

"I don't think she'll ask for help, Mom." Gohan said softly, "if she wasn't allowed to make any physical contact, then how do we know if she was allowed to ask for help in any way? I'd hate for her to suffer in silence because of what _he_ ingrained into her mind."

"We have to be reasonable, mom." Videl continued, "She's been, more or less, a pleasure slave and a house slave for three years, now. It's going to be hard to break her from that mindset. I doubt she was allowed any form of assistance." Her voice choked a bit when she mentioned her daughter's former slave status, and Gohan gently grasped her hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

"For now, I guess all we can do is love her and show her that we care. She needs to know that she has a support system before she can even start letting go of the past." Chichi said firmly, "comforting needs to come first, and then pushing second. You know Panny thrives when she's outside of her comfort zone. I hope that's still the same about her, since so much has changed."

Goku passed Gohan the sack of senzu beans and smiled sadly at his granddaughter before kissing her temple. Gohan smiled at the sight and then spoke up, "how about we go put her down, and then have some lunch or something?"

"I'll make some sandwiches and fresh lemonade." Chichi volunteered, and then headed into the kitchen to complete her task. Gohan scooped his daughter up and made his way slowly up the stairs to her bedroom. The little Son continued to rest evenly all the way to her room, but when Gohan placed her in bed, tucked her in, and prepared to leave, she gave a sharp whimper.

"What is it, Princess?" Gohan crooned, kneeling beside the bed. Pan's small hand fisted in the fabric of the sleeve of his shirt as she pleaded desperately, "don't leave me, Papa; don't leave me alone."

Gohan's eyes widened and he checked to see if Pan was awake. Strangely enough, she wasn't, despite the fact that she sounded completely lucid. The worried father settled on the bed beside her and smiled as she grabbed a handful of his shirt before falling into deeper sleep.

_She's bold enough to touch me in her sleep, but too scared to do it while awake_, he mused, and then stroked Pan's hair, _if I had it my way, you'd leave all this paranoia and fear behind you, tenshi_. Pan sighed contently and began to emit dainty little snores.

*downstairs*

"What's holding Gohan?" Videl wondered aloud, "I hope Pan didn't wake up and panic again. The poor thing needs her rest." Chichi nodded in agreement, "maybe you should go check on them, dear. Gohan might need your help." The younger matriarch nodded and headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Chichi continued to make sandwiches at a cut-throat pace, more than aware of the hungry saiyans sitting at the kitchen table, waiting to get their hands on something to eat. Goku was telling Goten about a new training spot that he'd found, and the father and son duo were locked in an animated conversation about different martial arts styles and ki manipulation techniques.

The Son matriarch rolled her eyes and grabbed eight lemons from the fridge and fished a big pitcher out of the cupboard. With skilled hands, she cut each lemon in half, removed the seeds, and squeezed the fresh juice into the pitcher. The sharp, citrus-riddled scent of lemon filled Chichi's nostrils and she grinned as she gracefully traipsed across the kitchen to grab the container of fresh cane sugar.

Goku was mildly distracted from his conversation with Goten by the movements of his lovely wife in their son's kitchen. It was strangely enchanting to watch the small woman move about, preparing different delicacies for them to taste and devour. Chichi was truly a most graceful and elegant creature.

Chichi met her husband's appreciative gaze, and she winked coyly before pouring some sugar into the pitcher. It was no secret that her husband watched her working in the kitchen... or that he secretly loved it, too. He couldn't hide it from her; his face was an open book that she could read for hours on end.

Goku and Chichi's little moment was broken when their daughter in-law returned to the kitchen, smiling about something. Goten piped up, "how's the half pint?" Videl's grin widened, "she's cuddled up with her Papa so we'll have to bring him his lunch."

"Seriously? So our work _did_ pay off." Goten was over the moon, "who started it?"

"Pan called out to him in her sleep." Videl replied eagerly, "She didn't want to be alone." Goten fist pumped the air, "I guess she wasn't going backwards after all."

"That's wonderful news, darling." Chichi said, "Just wonderful; our Panny's making a comeback." Goku nodded in agreement, and then asked, "Have you two decided what you're going to do about her ki collar?"

Videl's smiled faded, and she twiddled her hands, "we're not too sure about that, Goku. She needs her strength right now. If we take off the collar, she'll be totally dependent on us for a good while, and that won't benefit to her recovery at all. I think we're going to wait on it... but we really aren't too sure."

"It would probably be best to take it up with her when she's a bit more stable," Chichi suggested, "that way she can make a level headed decision on her own. It wouldn't help her heal any if you made the decision for her. If you allow her to choose, then you're showing her that she has free will again."

"That's a great idea, mom." Goten praised her, "I think it would help her issue a lot." Videl nodded in agreement, and Chichi blushed, "I was just thinking out loud," and continued to slice the lemon halves into thin discs so they could go into the pitcher of lemonade.

"Videl," the Son matriarch frowned at her concoction, "you wouldn't happen to have some peaches and strawberries would you?" Videl nodded, "I bought some just two days ago, and some cherries, too." Chichi grinned, "Perfect," and dug the fruits out of the fridge.

Within minutes, Chichi had created an artful looking pitcher of lemonade sangria; virgin of course. Slices of lemons, peaches, strawberries, and whole, unseeded, cherries floated in the yellow mixture.

"Are you ready now, Chi-chan?" Goku asked teasingly, and Chichi rolled her eyes, "slow your horses, Goku."

The Son matriarch set aside four sandwiches for Pan, and a large glass of the sangria, and then twelve more sandwiches and three glasses of the sangria for Gohan. She loaded all of the food onto a tray and passed it to Videl, "that's for Gohan and Pan-chan." Videl nodded and made her way out of the kitchen.

*upstairs*

Videl entered her daughter's bedroom quietly, checking to see if she was awake or not. To her surprise, the small Son was leaned up against her father, blearily rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her fists. Her mother smiled and came forward the tray, "I hope you two are hungry."

Gohan chuckled as Pan's stomach grumbled loudly, and then quickly sobered up when she flushed a bright red and looked about ready to apologize until she couldn't speak any more. Before the first one could escape, he placed a hand over her mouth, "Panny, you can't control your stomach. It's fine."

Pan bit her lip and nodded, fighting off tears of shame. Videl distracted her child by placing a platter of sandwiches on her lap, and a glass of lemonade on her bedside table, "eat up, sweetie, and feel free to ask for more if you're still hungry."

The daughter of Gohan nodded, and then stifled a giggle as her mother placed an even bigger platter of sandwiches on her father's lap, and _three_ glasses on the bedside table on his side of her bed. Videl smiled and kissed her husband's cheek, "and if _you_ want more... I'm afraid you'll have to come downstairs and get it. You don't have an excuse pertaining to your health."

That time, both of them heard the muffled giggling and glanced over at Pan. The small young woman had gone red in the face, with both hands clapped over her mouth as she desperately fought off her laughter. Both parents shared a smile, deciding mutually not to disturb her little moment of joy.

When Pan relaxed, her mother leaned over to brush a stray lock of hair away from her forehead, and then kissed her on the same spot. Pan unconsciously began to react to the sentiment by hugging her mother; something she'd always done when Videl kissed her on the cheek or forehead. The small Son seemed to come back to her senses when her arms were around her mother, and froze in place, shivering, before trying to pull back.

"No, no, no, sweetie, it's perfectly fine if you want to hug me. It's okay." Videl cooed, brushing a hand over her daughter's head. Pan continued to shake, "b-but... I'm n-not supposed to touch-"

"Not this again," Videl mumbled to herself, before leaning back to look in her daughter's face, "If you want to touch one of us, then you do it. I don't care about _his_ rules because _he's_ not alive to uphold them anymore. Panny, you're _free_. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want with _no_ consequences."

"None of us want to hurt you, baby, but we can't stand watching you suffer like this. I _know_ you, honey, and I can always tell when you want something and I can tell when you're fighting yourself, and you've been fighting against what you want for a while now, and I don't want you to do that to yourself anymore. Let yourself be free."

Pan laid her head against her mother's chest and hugged in the way she'd been wanting to for a very long time. Her body was still a bit tense, but the tense feeling faded as Videl rubbed her back comfortingly, like she did when she had nightmares as a child.

"I'm sorry, Mama."

"You have nothing to apologize for, sweet pea."

Gohan gently moved Pan's plate out of the way, and Videl pulled her daughter into her lap, swaying gently as she hummed the lullaby from Pan's babyhood. The two parent's eyes met for a second, sharing the small victory, before going back to the small girl in Videl's lap. This was only a small triumph, but the rest could wait for a while.

*on planet Nikos*

"King Lobos!"

The king of planet Nikos flicked his wrist, and the gaggle of pleasure slaves around him scattered. The guard who called for him made his way up to the throne and bowed before standing up before him, "there's been a breach."

King Lobos frowned, "a breach? Of what nature?"

"We were checking each registered pleasure slave's collar to make sure none had left the planet and sire... we're missing a quite valuable one. Do you remember the part-saiyan woman that Sirs Baden and Lykui had registered three years ago? You offered to buy her from them, but they refused."

King Lobos nodded, "how could I forget such an exotic beauty? There's never been a Niko-jin woman with a coloring like hers. Why do you bring her up now?"

"Sire, she's not on the planet. The tracker on her collar is transmitting from the very planet she was found on." The guard said solemnly, and the King's eye lit with fire, "she _escaped_? But how?"

"Sir Baden was found dead in the forest only a few days ago. It is assumed that she escaped then, as he's been dead for quite a while."

"Oh," the king rubbed his chin in thought, "if both of her previous Masters are dead, then she's free to become my wife. I'll be revered across the galaxy for having such a uniquely colored Queen at my side."

"When will you move to claim her, sire?"

"Not immediately. I want her to settle in before I rip her away from her little fantasy world. She'll never be any of the wiser."

* * *

**And, at long last, I was finally able to incorporate a new villain. This guy is going to be a necessary part of Pan getting over what she's been through and finally letting go. He won't become a threat until we get near the end of this fic. Well, he **_**is**_** a threat, but not an **_**immediate**_** threat. Can't wait to get to the end of this thing! It's going to be so exciting. I think next chapter, we'll work on Pan's touching issue, and incorporate some of her old friends; Bra and Marron.**

**-SukiChan12^-^**


	6. Facing the Music, and a New Friend

**Okay, thing about last chapter, Pan was supposed to eat a senzu bean, but I forgot about it. I decided to make it part of her free will exercise, where she'll have to ask for it on her own. Alright, so I'm tired right now so I'm being forced to take a break and go nap for a bit. I'll get into this tomorrow, hopefully.**

* * *

**(July 18, 2013)**

**Alright, now I think I can manage to write. Sorry it took me two whole days to get up to this, but these things take time.**

**Someone was saying that I must hate Pan to put her through all of this mess, but the truth is that she's my favorite character. This experience is only going to make her stronger, and I mentioned that the new villain wouldn't really come into play until we started to wind down towards the end of the story. As for him actually **_**taking**_** Pan away; do you really think Gohan, Goten, Goku, or **_**any**_** of the saiyan men would allow that to happen?**

**The villain is serving as Pan's final test, in a sense. More light will be shed on that as the story progresses. For the moment, we'll be focusing on the smaller things, like exercising free will and learning to trust others. Enjoy the read.**

* * *

**Pan's POV**

It's been two days since my latest freak out and; every morning since, there's been a senzu bean resting on my night table. I didn't touch it, though; past experiences warned me against just doing whatever whenever I wanted. Still, the green bean remained, weighing heavily on me with its presence. Had someone left it there by accident? Or were they purposefully antagonizing me?

I sat up on my elbows, eying the bean quietly. If I just ate it, then I wouldn't have to be carried up and down the stairs, and I'd have freedom to move about the house on my own... but who's to say I won't get punished for it?

My shoulders slumped and I turned away from the bean, using the poster of my bed to pull myself into a standing position. _It's not worth it, Panny, it's not... _my legs carried me around the bed to the table where the bean still lay, mocking me with its promise of healing. My hand closed around the green bean, and raised it to my lips. The bean settled on my tongue, and I began to chew, regretting every flex of my jaw muscles.

All the stiffness and dull aches in my legs vanished and I frowned at the plaster cast on my ankle as I worked the brace off of my thigh. I wasn't strong enough to break the hardened material... so how was I going to get the thing off. If there was one thing that irritated me endlessly, it was having plaster on me. The material made my skin hot, and any itches I had beneath its impenetrable surface would either have to be sated with a wire hanger or left to drive me mad.

_I'd kill for a damn hammer_, I thought to myself, hobbling awkwardly out of the room. When I opened the door, I spotted Uncle Goten leaned up against the wall just outside, texting someone on his cell. _Has he been waiting for me to come out so he could carry me downstairs? I don't deserve this kindness_.

The abject innocence of his actions was even more of a slap to my face. What right did a soiled dove like me have to waste the time of someone so pure? Tears pricked at the backs of my eyes, and I blinked them back and tried to move past my uncle; he hadn't noticed me coming out of my room.

"Whoa, Panny, do you need some help?"

"No," I mumbled, "I-I can make it on my own, Uncle G."

Before her could grab me, I began making my way awkwardly down the stairs. The stupid plaster was making me walk weird, but, so long as my foot didn't catch on anything, I could manage with it. _No more dependence... it's not good to be dependent..._

"Panny, did you eat the senzu on your night table?"

I gasped and looked at my mother worriedly, "I'm sorry, I didn't- I just..." She looked at me weirdly, "I left it there in case you wanted it or not. If you ate it or not, it's fine by me. Do you need help getting the plaster off of your leg?"

I nodded meekly, "Please."

Mama smiled and knelt down in front of me before calmly breaking the plaster into two halves with her bare hands, "There. Now you're free as a bird." I remained quiet, watching her dispose of the plaster.

_I remember when I could do that_, my fingers gently scratched at the collar around my throat. Every time I thought about it, the skin there would itch and tingle in an irritating manner.

Mama turned to face me and raised a brow at my scratching, "Do you want it off?" When I frowned at her, she backtracked, "you don't have to get it off if you don't want to, but if you do, there's something you should know first."

"Like what?" I asked quietly, and she bit her lip, "Vegeta knows quite a bit about the collar, and he said if we were to remove it, you'd be very weak because the collar's drained you of your ki to keep you weak."

"Oh," I trailed off, "I wouldn't want to be a burden to anyone… I'll just leave it on." Before Mama could say anything else, I left the room and returned to my bedroom upstairs to find something to wear.

*later*

All of my old clothing was too tight and too small, and I didn't want to bother anyone with asking for some clothing that fit, but sooner or later, I would run out of sweats and yoga pants, and then I'd have to get new things to wear. With a heavy heart, I made my way back downstairs to inform my mother.

"Mama," I murmured, entering the kitchen, "I have a problem." My mother put down the mug of tea she'd been nursing and walked over to me, "what's wrong, Panny?" I sighed deeply, "none of my old clothes will fit me. I-"

"-don't want to be a bother; I know, sweet pea, but you have to understand that you're not a bother or a burden. We're your family and we love you. We'd do _anything_ for you." Mama cupped my cheeks lovingly, "To get you new stuff to wear, we'll have to measure you. Would you be comfortable being in your underwear while I measure you?"

"Only if it's just you measuring me." I replied almost inaudibly, and she nodded, "okay, when do you want me to measure you?" I shrugged, "whenever you want." Mama furrowed nose, "I'll do it tonight before bed, and then I'll go to the store tomorrow and get you some clothes."

*that afternoon*

I managed to sneak out of the house and went to sit on one of the deck chairs outside under the umbrella for the patio furniture. I'd found a loose enough top for me to wear, and a pair of Papa's old gi pants which had to be rolled a couple dozen times for my feet to come through. I didn't bother with any shoes, and grabbed _Silver Linings Playbook_ to entertain myself while I was outside.

The clink of a glass being set on the table made me jump, and I looked up, alarmed. Papa smiled apologetically and set down a bowl of chicken nachos next to the tall glass of blue raspberry lemonade. My stomach grumbled angrily, and I glanced at my book weirdly. How long had I been out here?

Noticing my confusion, Papa answered me, "you've been out here reading for three hours, Pan-chan." I nodded and hesitantly reached for the bowl of nachos, "I didn't realize… I'm sorry; I must've worried you." Papa rolled his eyes and chuckled softly, "I was worried at first because I can't sense you, but your mother told me where you were."

"Oh, the collar…" guilt set in, and I briefly entertained the thought of getting the collar removed, but the idea was immediately shot to hell. I didn't deserve to have my powers back; not after the last, shameful display I'd made three years ago. What good was all that power if I couldn't protect myself? My fingers gently caressed the small metal collar, and my father spoke again.

"If you want it off, all you-"

"_NO!_"

Before I could stop the irrational reaction, I'd screamed out, and then immediately backtracked, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you… I just- I- no… it's better for everyone if I keep wearing the collar." I grabbed the glass of lemonade and took a few tentative sips.

"Panny, why do you think that it's better for everyone if you wear the collar?" Papa knelt down next to my chair so he could look into my eyes. I looked away, "because it just is. You wouldn't understand it."

"Pan-chan, I can't understand if you won't explain-"

"I don't need to. If you examine it close enough, the reasoning should show through." I mumbled, and then spoke louder, "Papa, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm sorry, but I can't talk about this right now." I took the bowl of nachos off of the table and started to slowly eat them, trying to soothe my frayed nerves.

"I understand," Papa said at last, "and I'm sorry for pushing you, Panny." I smiled weakly, "It's alright, I know you meant well." He took a seat at the table with his own nachos and lemonade, and we ate in a tense silence.

*that night*

I suppressed the urge to cover my half naked body with my arms as my mother gently measured me with her measuring tape. My body couldn't seem to stop shaking, and I jumped every time she touched me with the measuring tape. I couldn't help it; I just didn't like being so vulnerable. After the millionth jerk of my shoulders as my mother made a third attempt to measure my arm span, she released a frustrated sigh and dropped the tape before coming around where I could see her.

"I'm not him, Panny," she murmured, "I'm not that sick monster, and I would never do anything to hurt you. I just need you to tell me what I can do to make this more comfortable for you." I sighed, "I don't know, Mama; I'm just not too comfortable being this… bare in front of anyone."

"Honey, I've seen it all. I'm your mother. Alright, let's try this; if you start to get uncomfortable, just take a few deep breaths and try to find a happy place where nothing bad can reach you."

"I've tried that before," I murmured, recalling my first few days in captivity, "and it never works. Reality is never far away, no matter how hard you try to escape." Her hopeless expression crumbled, and I grasped her hands, "Mama, I'm not just going to forget about what happened to me in one sitting, or ever, actually. You can't force these things."

"I know," she told me sadly, "but sometimes I just wish that I could do something to help you move on. I'd do anything just to not see you suffer like this everyday." She kissed my forehead, "go on and get dressed; I'll get some new clothes for you tomorrow." Her voice shook with suppressed sorrow, and I felt even worse for making her upset.

"Mama, I-"

"Shhh, sweetie, you have nothing to explain." Mama placed a finger on my lips, "go get dressed, and go sit outside for a little while. I know you like the outdoors." I nodded and gave her a tentative hug before grabbing my clothes and retreating to the bathroom.

*outside*

I curled up into a ball on the blanket I'd laid on the green grass outside, watching the sun slowly sink down towards the horizon. My book lay on the blanket, open to the page I'd stopped on. I moved to stretch out on my stomach, enjoying the symphony that was nature at its best. A soft rustle in the tall bushes that made a barrier between our backyard and the forest, however, caught my attention.

Suddenly wary, I sat up and looked into the bushes, searching for a threat of any kind. With a hesitant demeanor, I rose from the blanket and made my way over to the bushes slowly as they rustled a bit more. My progress halted, however, when a small creature emerged from the bushes, bounding towards my feet.

I gasped softly, taking in the fluffy; though filthy, brown kitten as it stopped beside my foot and tried to climb up my pants leg. A few frightened mews left it as it continuously failed to climb up my pants. I knelt down and scooped the tiny creature up, brushing a hand over its head. I didn't expect to be ambushed by a camera crew; which was most likely the reason that the poor kitten was frightened.

As I'd made to stand from my kneeling position, my eyes were assaulted by a blinding white flash that left me seeing spots. I stumbled backwards into the yard, clutching the kitten tightly as a second flash went off. My heart had somehow found its way up to my throat, pounding as roughly as it was, and I released a scream as a hand latched onto my forearm.

I cried out shrilly, trying to jerk away from the camera-wielding moron who'd blinded me. Two more flashes went off, and I heard the back door burst open as I struggled to get away from the callous hand gripping my forearm. I could hear questions being shouted from seemingly everywhere, along with flashes.

"Pan Son, where have you been for the last year and a half?"

"Why'd you drop out of high school, Miss Son?"

"Miss Son, did you run away from home because you were pregnant?"

"Miss Pan?"

"Miss Son?"

"_What the HFIL is going on here?!_"

Through the din, a loud, furious voice broke through, and the flashes came to a halt. The hand on my arm still remained, and I continued to jerk away, trying to escape. Somehow I'd managed to keep my grip on the kitten while fighting the man, but it was useless. He was too strong for me, especially with the collar on. A rush of air whizzed past me, and I cried out as the man's rough hand was ripped away from my skin.

The spots were still clouding my vision, but I could see that my savior had spiky black hair; most likely my Uncle, Papa, or Grampa. I stumbled back some more and fought against the urge to crumble to the grass and curl into a fetal position. My mother's familiar embrace surrounded me, and she led me back to the house, whispering soothing things in my ear.

There was a strange ripping noise coming from somewhere nearby, and my breathing kept hitching weirdly as we entered the house. Mama sat me down at the kitchen table, muttering furiously under her breath.

"How the hell did they find us out here? Those fucking vultures, always looking for new crap to post in their rag sheets."

As Mama hissed and cursed under her brother, the ripping noise grew louder, and I felt warm liquid running down my cheeks. I frowned and placed a hand on my face. Tears; there were tears on my face. I was crying; that was the ripping noise, and I didn't even notice. I put the tiny kitten in my lap and hugged myself tightly, trying to cope with the barrage of fear and upset I felt.

My mother noticed my struggle and wrapped her arms around me, "Oh, Panny, I'm so sorry. I'd forgotten all about that part of our life. They've been trying to find the house ever since you disappeared, and I guess they found us." I burrowed my face in the front of her shirt and sobbed my heart out.

*outside* No POV

"If I find any of you camera wielding fucks _anywhere_ near my daughter again…" Gohan trailed off, his chest heaving with his fight to curb the urge to spill the blood of every single paparazzo in front of him, "I will hunt each and every one of you down and kill you in the most painful way I can think of. Do I make myself _clear_?"

The meek humans nodded frantically, frightened out of their wits by the sudden presence of Gohan's saiyan instincts.

Gohan's saiyan side had been awakened by his protective instincts as a father. He'd felt a rush of icy fear fill his being when Pan's first scream had rang out, closely chased by a heated urge to protect his child from her assailants. When he got outside and saw his poor, panicking daughter fighting desperately to escape the grip of some overweight sleazy piece of scum, his instincts and rage had been kicked into overdrive, and he'd barely held back enough strength to not kill the man when he separated him from Pan.

"Get the HFIL off of my property… _now_!" With his thundering growl, the small group of paparazzo's scattered, leaving their cameras behind in their haste to escape the pissed off demi saiyan father. Gohan snorted derisively at their retreating figures and released a pulse of ki to destroy every camera and phone before going into the house to check on Pan.

He found Pan sitting in the kitchen, face puffy and red, nursing a cup of chamomile tea. An angry dark purple bruise marred her right forearm, just above her wrist, from her struggle against the slob of a man, and Gohan bit back the urge to hunt him down and kill him just for simply marring her skin. Surprise colored his gaze when he noticed the small, filthy creature curled up in Pan's lap, sleeping soundly.

"She found it outside." Videl filled him in as she came to his side, "if she wants to keep it, then I don't have a problem."

"I forgot about them," Gohan mumbled morosely, "I honestly didn't think about them until they were outside of the house, assaulting Panny. I should've kept a closer watch on-"

"Gohan, we all make mistakes," Videl murmured, "I forgot about them, too. They'd been getting closer and closer to finding our house lately, but I never thought they'd actually find us."

"She was so scared…" The father mumbled, "I could tell the flashes on the camera had messed up her vision quite a bit, and she wanted to escape but she couldn't see to get away. I never want to see her like that again, Vi."

"I know you don't. We'll just have to keep an eye on here when she goes out for fresh air." Videl told him softly, "The poor thing was on the verge of a panic attack, a stroke, and a heart attack all at once when I got her inside. It took her a while to stop crying."

The worn parents looked up when Pan lifted the mug of tea to her lips with shaking hands; her whole body seemed to be trembling from head to toe, and a few stray tears trickled down her cheeks as she sipped at the hot liquid. Her eyes drifted down to the kitten in her lap, and a small smile formed on her lips as she brushed a finger against its ear.

The two parents shared a glance and a grin and left Pan to her devices while they went to alert the rest of the family of the incident.

*that night*

"They just ambushed her? Out in the _yard_?" Goten asked incredulously, and Gohan nodded, "you know the paparazzi are like wild animals, 'Ten." The younger brother nodded, "I'm still shocked they found the house. How's Pan holding up?"

"She was shaken up, but Vi managed to get her calmed down. She's made herself a new friend, too." Gohan chuckled, "she's a handful, that one."

"Wait, her _friend_?" Goten frowned, "how's her new friend a handful?"

A faint scratching sensation on his shoe made him look down, and the youngest son of Goku's eyes shot wide at the small brown kitten trying to tug on his shoelaces. Gohan laughed, "That's her new friend, little bro. She doesn't have a name yet." Goten scooped the little cat up and cradled her in his hands, "it's not nice to pull on people's shoelaces, you rascal."

The kitten mewed at him and tried to bat at his nose, but Goten leaned away at the last second, shaking his head at the kitten, "Hey now." He shared a look with his older brother, and the two of them started to laugh at the kitten's antics.

Pan's POV

"Grampa, Granma, I'm fine, I swear." I murmured, squirming in my grandmother's hold. She pressed a kiss against my forehead and let me go, "Oh, if I could just get my hands on those darn paparazzi, I'd hurt every single one of them for messing with my grandbaby." Grampa kissed the top of my head and brushed a few hairs out of my face, "I'm glad you're alright, Panny."

"Thank you, Grampa." I smiled up at him, and then jerked as something soft began to rub against my ankle. Glancing under the table, I couldn't help but smile as my kitten looked up at me with her playful blue eyes.

"Come here, you," I told her softly, picking her up with one hand. She curled up eagerly in my hold, and I cradled her to my chest. I felt her little body vibrating with a purr and scratched behind her ears, "What am I going to name you?" She mewed and I laughed, scratching her ears again.

_What am I going to name you, girl?_

* * *

**Finally, a chapter that ends on a somewhat light note. Pets are always good for trauma victims, hence the cuddly little kitten I introduced here. What should her name be? You guys tell me a few choices and I'll make a poll. Mind you, I want some creative suggestions for names, something meaningful to the storyline. Happy suggesting!**

**-SukiChan12^-^**

**P.S. Sorry about the long wait, it's been a crazy time lately, and I hope to somehow regulate the updates. Until I get my own laptop, I won't be making them in a regulated manner. Unfortunately, I don't know when that is.**


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